A couple of weeks ago I had the honour of being invited to a patient’s funeral.

I don’t usually attend the funerals of my patients, but in this case her husband had got in touch and asked me to come. He said it would be a small, private event for the family and friends who had been a big part of their lives.

It seemed important to be there.

The funeral was at my patient’s favourite beach, where her ashes would be scattered into the ocean. As we huddled and teared up on the sand, my patient’s son and brother spoke poignantly about their mother and sister and all the goodness she’d brought to their lives.