The One Month To Live Canvas

Phil Lew
1 min readMay 12, 2021

I was 14 when my father passed from Cancer.

Even though he had been sick for a while, the final stage of his life felt exceptionally rushed.

It was a blur of trips to the hospital, visits from friends and quiet time reflecting with family.

When he passed, suddenly it became all about administration and grief.

Funeral planning, ‘Possession Management’ and quiet solace.

Reflecting on this experience led me down the path of asking what could be designed to help people plan the last stage of their life.

After I built and tested this canvas on myself, I realised it had a nice unintended consequence.

It highlighted the things of importance and unimportance in my life.

What gives me joy?
Who do I need to forgive?
What do I need to accept that I can’t change?
Important administrative tasks I’d neglected?

If you or a loved one are experiencing thoughts of suicide than support is available.

Here is a global list of Suicide Crisis Support Lines.

https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

If you are currently experiencing an emergency now, please contact the relevant emergency number in your country.

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Phil Lew

Designing, Drumming and Dadding. Opinions are my own