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My husband didn’t plan the end of his life – I don’t want that for anyone else

Melissa Reader Advocate November 23, 2025 — 6.30pm Advertisement

We’re reminded to check everything except what matters most.

Australia has perfected the art of the polite reminder – we’re regularly nudged to check what’s happening inside and out. At 50, the government sends a discreet birthday gift, and we return the favour with our poo. Cervical and breast screening follow the same formula: the right age, a simple tool, and the shared understanding that it’s just what responsible adults do.

Melissa Reader: When my husband, Mauro, was dying of cancer, we had no conversations and no guidance to prepare us.

Yet the reminders stop short of life’s f

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