You are invited to attendHanna du Plessis’ Living End-of-Life Celebration
Sunday October 6, 2024
View the recorded livestream of the celebration
What an amazing day. We need a little time to edit and pull things together, then we’ll post recordings, galleries, and other links here.
“One of the perks of being on the slow death safari is that you can attend your own funeral. I feel grateful to still be here. I am excited to celebrate the precious time we could spend together, and mourn that I am leaving so soon.” -Hanna
Variety Show Format
In the spirit of my life the event will be variety show style.
The essence is to say thank you, I love you, goodbye or—as we say in Afrikaans—tot weersiens, until we meet again. You have permission to poke at my foibles! I want to be remembered as a whole human that people can relate to. Make something that captures what it is you want me to know before I depart.
I invite you to reach out to friends we share (see groups I can think of at the end of this message), and collaborate to make something together.
Interested? Thinking about it? See details at the end of this invitation.
Why now?
No one can tell how long I will live. But here is what we do know:
• The average life expectancy for bulbar-onset ALS is two years from diagnosis.
• It was October two years ago when I started to notice that I am not well. I had my first medical exam in early November.
• I have an unusually aggressive case for my age.
• My neurologist describes me as being in the advanced stages of ALS and I am on hospice care.
• My lungs are so compromised that if I get a lung infection, I‘ll wave goodbye quickly. If I don’t and progression is slow, I’ll see you for Christmas.
• Since we don’t know, we thought it best to celebrate whilst I am still up for a party, because you know I am down for a good time!
The variety show: what to make, what to do?
The form can be anything. What feels true to our friendship? If we danced together, use movement. If we hiked together make it in the mountains. If we designed, cooked, prayed, meditated, gardened, sang, cycled or facilitated together let that inform your making. Write a collective poem, make living postcards, make a vegetable puppet show, draw our bliss or break-up.
If what you make is spoken or performed, please keep it under five minutes.
If it is more exhibit than performance, we’ll make sure to have a place for it at the venue, on the web, or both.
If you are sharing your piece virtually, please upload it by October 2nd so our tech team has time to string it together (we’ll provide a link).
Physical or digital artifacts like a book or a paper hat are also welcome. We’ll find a place for it at the venue and/or on the web.
Please do it badly. This is the time we have to express our love and heartbreak. Don’t allow overthinking or perfection to get in the way.
I invite you to offer something as a group
Groups that come to mind
Meyersparkers
Pro Arte Alphen Park
Interior design at the University of Pretoria
Pretoria maats, even if you live elsewhere
Switch
ID, Chicago
Chicago friends
Facilitator and racial justice friends, including Theater of the Oppressed PGH
Improv people and the high scores! Make me a silly song!
University pals: Carnegie Mellon, SVA and Ohio State University
May day choir, if nothing else, sing most beautiful sky please!
Carlow writers
NBD Collective
Fellow dancers I met through the pillow project
YROL beloveds!
Garden crew
Polish Hill mates, chicken tenders (narrated dancing chicken video?)
Family! Rossouws, du Plessis, Fickle, Montana family, chosen Pittsburgh fam, Payen and those I didn’t mention.
Hannah, I don’t think I’ll make it. I’m deeply grateful for the hours we spent together in our creative group with Marc and Michael. You inspired me then and you do now. Sweet dreams.
Love, Jim
Hannah – sending you love and light. You have always been one of the loveliest humans I have ever had the pleasure to meet and work with.
Hannah, I have always struggled with grief and like with so many things even through everything you are going through you still manage to share your journey with us and help heal us while you are going through it. Today’s event has been so powerful–you are an incredible person with such a beautiful, loving and generous soul. You have had such an impact on my disposition, and my ways of thinking, and my outlook in even the short time we’ve spent together. I love you, and will miss you, and will be forever grateful to have had you in my life.
Love, Brian