A terminally-ill woman has ditched tradition and attended her own 'awake wake' to celebrate her life

%image(14688795, type="article-full", alt="The 58-year-old was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2017 and was told she had just months to live in June last year. Picture: Contributed by Samanda Ford")

Samanda Ford from Beccles slipped into her finest leopard print outfit last Friday, January 25 for her wake at the Ingate in Beccles.

The 58-year-old was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2017 and was told she had just months to live in June last year.

The mother-of-four, who was also a resident psychic at The Beach radio station, is known by friends as 'the queen of positivity' and wanted to share the wake with her loved ones.

Mrs Ford said: 'I have always had a positive outlook on life and I didn't want to have the wake after the funeral when I wasn't there.

%image(14688796, type="article-full", alt="As well as celebrating her life, she wanted to share how the cancer has affected her physically after losing her two front teeth as well as her hair. Picture: Contributed: Samanda Ford")

'I wanted everyone to have a happy experience, because we should live as happily as we can,' she said.

The theme for her 'awake wake' was simple - come dressed in your best leopard print outfit.

'I don't wear it all the time, but I would say around 75 pc of my wardrobe is leopard print,' she said.

As well as celebrating her life, she wanted to share how the cancer has affected her physically after losing her two front teeth as well as her hair.

%image(14688797, type="article-full", alt="Samanda Ford pictured with her husband Brett Ford organised the "awake wake" at the Ingate in Beccles. Picture: Samanda Ford")

'If you would have told me that was going to happen I would have been so upset, but you soon realise how shallow that is,' she said.

Fifty guests attended the party at the pub in Beccles and while the tone of the event was sombre, some party-goers left feeling positive about death and would attend their own wake.

She said: 'It was emotional - you have a tear in the back of your eyes but I was more worried about them and how they were feeling. But we are all here to help each other.

'At the end of the day, we are all terminal. If you are lucky enough to know you are going to die why not create something positive,' she added,''Why should they party and I'm not going to be there?'

%image(14688798, type="article-full", alt="Samanda Ford: “I have always had a positive outlook on life and I didn’t want to have the wake after the funeral when I wasn’t there." Contributed by Samanda Ford")