A healthy 30-year-old woman has revealed she has already planned her own funeral – from the playlist to her outfit.
Katie Cosgrove, from Buffalo, New York, first became fascinated with death at the age of 15 after tragically losing her father, Bob Mariacher, at the age of 82.
This eventually led her to pursue a career as a death doula, someone who helps people cope with the loss of a loved one.d It is her profession that opened her eyes to funerals.
The young woman has already prepared for her own farewell and although her family considers it ‘morbid’, Katie believes such planning early in her life is crucial.
Katie Cosgrove, from Buffalo, New York, has revealed she has already planned her own funeral – from the playlist to her outfit
She became fascinated with death at the age of 15 after tragically losing her father, Bob Mariacher, at the age of 82.
This led her to pursue a career as a death doula, someone who helps people cope with the loss of a loved one. It is her profession that opened her eyes to funerals.
Katie’s funeral plans include a detailed end-of-life Spotify playlist, including music from Selena Gomez, John Mayer, Queen and Coldplay, as well as her favorite flowers, a special shroud and more.
Katie says: ‘There should be fresh flowers every day, preferably lilies, lilacs or daisies.
‘People can come and go as they please and no one has to feel obligated to stay with me all the time or greet/entertain people.
‘I’ve created my own end-of-life playlist and I’d like to play it in the background.
“I want to be wrapped in silk and covered in little memories that honor my relationships.
‘At the end of the two days I would like to have a short ritual of reading poems and being carried by my close relatives.’
She continued: ‘Then I will be transferred to a cremation center where I will be cremated.
“I would like my ashes to be bottled in small bottles and distributed among my family and friends at a celebration of life, one year after my death.”
The young woman has already prepared for her own farewell and although her family considers it ‘morbid’, Katie believes such planning is crucial to do early in her life.
Katie has set aside $9,195 for the ceremony and plans to pay these costs before transitioning to avoid leaving others with the bill
Katie has set aside $9,195 for the ceremony and plans to pay these costs before she transitions to avoid leaving others with the bill.
She estimates the cremation alone will cost more than $4,400.
‘I chose to prepare my own funeral as best I could, because we never know when we will die.
‘A common fear that people get older is that they will become a burden on their family, but the only burden I see is not being prepared for your own death.
“It burdens your family with decisions to make in the midst of dealing with insurmountable grief.
‘It’s never too early to plan! Moreover, your own interpretation of your funeral can make it so much more beautiful and help people to mourn you in an inspiring way.’
Although she wants to be prepared, her family thinks her plans are “premature” to say the least.
“I think some of my family and friends think it’s a bit premature to plan or morbid to think about.
‘It is a common misconception in our society that talking about death makes death happen more quickly. I do not believe that.
“I think talking about death can help us live a purposeful and driven life, relieve stress on our family members when (the time comes) and give us control over something we normally feel like we have.” have no control over.’
Katie focuses her life around death and helps others cope with grief, reassuring people at the end of their lives.
Katie’s funeral plans include a detailed end-of-life Spotify playlist, including music from Selena Gomez, John Mayer, Queen and Coldplay
Katie focuses her life around death and helps others cope with grief and reassures people at the end of their lives
“I have always felt the pull to help my community in some way and I feel fortunate enough that I can now be comfortable with death and sit with the dying, while many people struggle with this.
“The most common role of a death doula is to advocate for the dying to their care team and sometimes even to family and friends.
‘They discuss the person’s death wishes and help him or her become emotionally, spiritually and physically healthy to ease any regrets or fears at the end of life.
“I wish there was a death doula there for my loved ones when they died, and now I can be that person for others.”