High Wycombe woman with cancer chooses party over funeral

A woman with terminal cancer who decided to throw a party rather than have a funeral said she had "the best night" of her life.

Linda Williams, 76, from High Wycombe, "hates funerals" and wanted to be able to "dance the night away" with her friends instead.

After being diagnosed with terminal cancer a year ago, she started organising the party.

"I had an absolute blast," the former Tai Chi instructor said.

"I've never been to a good funeral, they're miserable things, so I decided I wanted a celebration of my life," she said.

"I nearly died two weeks before it so I had a cardboard cut-out made just in case but I was able to be there with all my friends."

Ms Williams has always loved Spitfires - her parents were both in the RAF and she grew up near their base in Walters Ash, where she used to see the planes flying over her house.

She started writing a bucket list when she was diagnosed and number one was a flight in a Spitfire. It was "absolutely crazy, fantastic and more than I ever wished for", and her son followed behind in a chaser plane, she said.

Next up was the 1940s-themed party, which was held in October, that featured six performances, a raffle, a union jack cake and spam sandwiches.

"I themed my party around The Battle of Britain, which felt perfect because the 1940s were all about pulling together, when you have nothing, and sacrificing to keep your freedom," she said.

She dressed as a Spitfire pilot and wore a parachute tied to her back, as if she had just jumped out of the plane. The 124 guests had to use the code word enigma to gain entry to the party.

However, Ms Williams nearly did not make the big event after her health deteriorated.

"I very nearly died just before it but I thought 'I am going to flipping well get there'. I just decided I would go for it and everybody had a phenomenal time," she said.

"I was so excited I got there at 6pm, it didn't kick off until half seven. My legs were swollen but I still managed to dance all night and I had lots of lovely cuddles," she said.

"I didn't leave until one in the morning, I was high on adrenaline, and I slept for nearly two days after."

Ms Williams said she was so grateful to her friends for organising the party. She met many of them at a Lindy Hop dance class she started attending at the age of 69.

One of them, Jo Oxlade, said it was fantastic to be involved in planning such a unique celebration.

"Linda was very clear with us from the start that this party would go ahead whether she was here or not," she said.

"She said 'if I'm there on the night I want this song, but if I have died I want a different song' so we had very clear instructions.

"She is just an amazing and inspiring person who we are lucky to be friends with."

A few months ago, Ms Williams decided she had "had enough of hospitals" and made the decision to be cared for at home by nurses from the charity Rennie Grove Hospice Care.

Ms Williams credits her "wonderful" nurses with keeping her alive long enough to attend the party.

"They saved my life on that occasion, which meant I could attend my own party celebrating friendship, camaraderie, and the joy of dance," she added.

Fiona O'Neill, a senior hospice at home nurse, said: "Lin is such a fighter, she made sure that she pulled through and made it to her party. She always sees the positive in life and is a real pleasure to care for."

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