RICHMOND, Va. -- When hundreds gathered Sunday to remember the life of Peg Myrick, they not only heard from Peg's friends, family, and loved ones, they also heard from Peg herself. Myrick, who died in August after a year-long battle with colorectal cancer, recorded her own eulogy to be played at the celebration of life.
"If you're watching this, unfortunately it means that I'm no longer with you here on Earth," she said to open the eight-minute video.
Myrick, who died at age 39, spoke about the importance of staying positive and enjoying all that life has to offer.
"I want to encourage you to not sweat the small stuff in life. We're never guaranteed another day and don't hold grudges," she said. "Spend time with your family and loved ones, but don't take on the burden of those who are bringing you down. Yes, we love our family, but sometimes those relationships are toxic and you may have to free yourself for protection and cut somebody off. But, as much as you can, try to be positive and loving and live your best life."
Myrick used her final months to cross experiences off her bucket list.
"I've been so lucky to have the time and resources to be able to travel, visit with friends and family, and pretty much live life the way that I wanted to for the last year and a half," she said in her video. "I know that this is pretty uncommon because most people, even after they're diagnosed, they still have mortgages, responsibilities with children or parents, and I'm fortunate that I was able to travel and enjoy life without any constraints."
In the video she highlighted the importance of communicating your final wishes to friends and family and thanks family members for their love and support during her cancer battle.
Following her 2016 diagnosis, Myrick became an outspoken advocate for research of colorectal cancer. The Chester native even appeared on a billboard in Times Square advocating for better screening policies.
"I wish I would have had a lot more time here on Earth to spend with my family, but I'm not sad, I am at peace," she said in her eulogy. "I just want to encourage you love each other, life is short. We're only here for a short time. So, enjoy it. Take care of each other and be kind. I love you."
Watch Peg Myrick's entire eulogy and scroll down to read her words.
Hi everybody.
If you're watching this, unfortunately it means that I'm no longer with you here on Earth.
I just had a few things I wanted to say and I figured who better to deliver my eulogy than me?
So I appreciate your attention.
Yes, cancer sucks.
I wish I would have had a lot more time here on Earth to spend with my friends and family, but I'm not sad, I am at peace and all of us are going to die cancer or not.
I think it's super important that you take the time and talk about your final wishes with your family.
I've had a lot of time to prepare that because my battle with cancer has been going on for almost three years.
But everyone, is going to die and sometimes it happens a lot quicker than others.
So I encourage you, today, this weekend, the next time you're all together, speak about what your wishes are.
I know when my mom passed away, it helped a lot to have in her handwriting exactly what she wanted, so we knew her wishes and could execute them easily and while we were so sad, and in our state of grief, we knew we were doing what she wanted.
I have set my family up like that and I hope that it helps them as much as mom's wishes written down helped us through that time.
I want to say that I'm so fortunate to have such an amazing support system from my family to friends, co-worker friends from Stonewall and Northumberland and even people I have not met, I appreciate that you've taken time to reach out and say how my journey has touched lives.
I was very transparent, from the beginning when I was diagnosed, because I couldn't believe at 36, that I was getting a terminal cancer diagnosis.
If sharing my story could somehow, in anyway, help other patients, I wanted to make sure that my story was out there, so, if it could make somebody else's life easier, it made my journey worth it.
The stories I've heard touched my heart, brings tears to my eyes, and thank you for sharing them.
I want to encourage you to not sweat the small stuff in life.
We're never guaranteed another day and don't hold grudges.
Spend time with your family and loved ones, but don't take on the burden of those who are bringing you down.
Yes, we love our family, but sometimes those relationships are toxic and you may have to free yourself for protection and cut somebody off.
But, as much as you can, try to be positive and loving and live your best life.
I encourage you also to get involved in activities that mean something to you.
I know, for example, that the last year and a half when I've been involved in Abigail Spanberger's campaign it really changed my life.
I had never been involved in politics, mostly because of my position as a public school teacher, but I really enjoyed getting to campaign and stand up for a candidate I believed in.
It was just a side benefit that she became a friend of mine.
I'm so fortunate to have had the time to work with her campaign.
I encourage you to live your best life every day. I've been so lucky to have the time and resources to be able to travel, visit with friends and family, and pretty much live life the way that I wanted to for the last year and a half.
I know that this is pretty uncommon because most people, even after they're diagnosed, they still have mortgages, responsibilities with children or parents, and I'm fortunate that I was able to travel and enjoy life without any constraints.
I wanted to thank my father, who has been an amazing caretaker. He was the caretaker for my mother when she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, just a month after I was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer.
He has just been amazing and he's done it all over again with me. He converted his dining room into my bedroom so we could have a hospital bed in here when I went on hospice. That's where I am now. It's so comfortable and he just tends to my every need. I'm so fortunate to have a father like him.
I'm also blessed with an amazing brother who is only one year, two weeks, and two days younger than I am, so I truly don't remember life without him. He's an amazing father to my niece and nephew and I'm so happy to have him in my life. I'm so thankful that he brought my sister-in-law into my life. She has been a great friend and supporter of mine and I enjoy the joking banter with her, but at the end of the day with both love each other very much.
And my niece and nephew Jack and Alice, they are the lights of my life.
They have really completed our family and are so smart and I just enjoy every moment when I get with them.
All of my friends, whether I've known you for 30 years or we just met a couple of months ago, thank you for all you've done for me. I love you so much.
In closing, I just want to encourage you love each other, life is short. We're only here for a short time. So, enjoy it. Take care of each other and be kind. I love you.
