Unanswered questions about her father have prompted a Riverina woman to design journals for terminally ill parents to pass onto their children.
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Coolamon's Shaela Mauger was just five years old when her father died of a brain tumour, and 33 years on, she still thinks about all the things she wished she knew about him.
"My dad left me a letter, but it didn't tell me all those things that I wanted to know," she said.
"The letter said how much he loved me, but I suppose he didn't know what to tell me. It was not like a long letter, but I am so glad I have it."
Ms Mauger said she does not remember much of her dad's final months or his passing, but her mother and relatives have regaled her with tales.
However, she felt something was always missing as the memories and anecdotes were never from his perspective or in his own words.
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While Ms Mauger cherishes her letter, she started to think about ways to help terminally ill parents leave behind a trove of memories.
And so, she developed Cherish: A Book About Us.
"I started it four or five years ago, I was having a few medical things myself, and that scared me," she said.
"I have two daughters, one is seven and one is five now, and I am fine, but it was a little scary."
The cherish book has two parts. The first chapter is titled My Story and has different prompts, including "my greatest achievement", "my first love", "my biggest regret" and "highlights of my life and moments that I treasure".
The second chapter is titled Our Story, and the prompts include a "letter to you", "remember when...", "10 things I love the most about you", and "always remember that...".
"This way, they have an easy way to tell the story," Ms Mauger said.
"A lot of people get scared, they have this fear about dying, which I understand, but it's so important they leave it for their kids; otherwise, they don't have anything.
"This way, their children have something to keep, and it's in their parent's own words. Although we live in a digital age, I decided to create a book because it is a tangible keepsake ... also a person's handwriting is unique and is what makes it feel extra special."
Ms Mauger has written one for her children just for peace of mind.
"I have done the books in case something suddenly happens," she said. "I just want them to have that because I know what it is like."
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