Terminally ill man fit to attend his own funeral

Published on 25/10/2005 01:12

TERMINALLY ill John Noble was so determined not to miss his own funeral he decided to hold his wake before he dies.

Grandfather-of-one Mr Noble, 52, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease - a muscle wasting illness - and has been given just months to live.

Instead of sinking into depression, he decided to celebrate his life by organising a final farewell for 120 family and friends.

"If people were going to turn up for a farewell drink after my death, I thought I would rather be there and have a drink with them," he said.

He added: "The disease has had a profound impact on my whole life and those close to me. You become disabled inch by inch."

But despite his condition, Mr Noble, who still works as a print and stationery manager at the University of the West of England in Bristol, managed to party hard into the night.

His family, friends and colleagues toasted a final farewell to Mr Noble at a champagne-fuelled black tie bash at a top hotel in Bristol.

Mr Noble was diagnosed with the disease in 2003. Sufferers can live between three to five years after being diagnosed.

However, he has asked doctors not to tell him exactly how long he has left.