Don’t miss a thing! Sign up to the Daily Star’s newsletter
Kate Marshall doesn't have just any job.
The mum-of-four works in a mortuary in an NHS hospital in North-West England, and part of her job is to prepare the bodies however grieving relatives see fit – but some have some very particular requests.
Now Kate is releasing a new book, Sorry for Your Loss, detailing all the weird things grieving family members ask for when dealing with the death of a family member, friend or partner.
READ MORE: Marbella shooting: Gunman opens fire at famous beach club leaving 'five injured'
One man named Brian, she said, requested she remove a piercing in a "private place" from his partner, she told The Sun.
She said: "Brian wasn’t waiting. He wanted me to go in and get that piercing now and hand it to him immediately.
"I was not going to disrespect Kerry by looking there. "
She then shared that Brian wanted his deceased partner buried in an unusual outfit.
"He shoved a bag for life on the desk and said: 'Can you dress her in that then?'," she said.
"Inside was a black playsuit, a mask, cat ears and fishnet tights.
"If someone wants to bring in an outfit as it makes them feel better knowing their mum is in her favourite blouse or whatever, we’ll do that. But this? No."
Kate's also had a number of shock revelations during her time at the mortuary – including uncovering extramarital affairs.
When Rachel came in to visit the body of her husband Joe, Kate was surprised when her initial reaction was to repeatedly punch him.
NHS at risk of 'shutdown' as experts warns of triple threat this winter
Rachel eventually revealed: "I only came to hit him."
When Rachel discovered her husband had died, she was also dealt the crushing blow of learning that he had been betraying her for years with another woman, Maria, behind her back while she underwent fertility treatment to have their two-year-old.
He had even had another child without Rachel ever knowing.
Kate said: "I felt so sorry for the real wife when she came in.
"She was a tiny, completely broken woman. I took her in to see him and asked if she would like me to stay.
"Without a word, she walked over to her husband, stared at him for the longest time – then just started punching and punching.
"She was so hurt and why wouldn’t she be? Her life had been a web of lies for years and she was denied the chance to ask the questions which must have been swarming in her head."
But it isn't all sordid affairs – Kate gets to see touching displays of love too.
One grieving mother was distraught to lose her baby girl after an induced labour and vowed to read to her every day.
She shared: "Mary was in her 50s and had conceived Abigail through donor insemination. This was her last chance at motherhood."
After Mary tragically lost Abigail, she arrived at the mortuary with a collection of Winnie the Pooh books and told Kate about her plan.
"And she kept to her word, coming in when there was no one there, usually two or three times a day," Kate said.
When Abigail's skin began to shrivel, Mary was forced to accept that it was time to move on and a funeral service was arranged.
But Mary hadn't finished the book she had been reading to her daughter – and now she never would.
Kate said: "No way of grieving is right or wrong – but with each loss, I feel that we should take a moment to linger, to sit in that loss and ask ‘what now?’
"It’s a time to reflect on whether our own life is at a crossroads. After all, death doesn’t define us – life does."
READ NEXT:
Police expecting 'crime boom' as 40C heatwave combines with cost of living crisis
Pet snakes 'more likely to escape' during scorching heatwave, RSPCA warns
'Take shorter showers' beg water companies amid fears of heatwave sparking drought
Bloke claims running on all fours like a dog daily has made him 'crazy ripped'
- Hospital
- NHS
- Lingerie
Source: Read Full Article
