Doreen Cassar, a 46-year-old mother of three, wrote her own farewell message just before succumbing to cancer, and surprised mourners when her letter was read at funeral mass in Balzan.

Mrs Cassar, a midwife, spoke about how she was comforted and at peace because of her faith, adding that what was important was not how many years one lived, but how one actually lived.

She said she was happy that she had everything in life, including a happy childhood, a career, marriage and three children, and she was also able to give a lot back.

She also urged the mourners not to be downcast, but to leave church with a smile because life goes on.

At her request, mourners were asked not to wear black for the funeral, which was described as a 'celebration of life'.

A number of colourful balloons were let off. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.