‘My life will be short. So on the days I can, I really live’: 30 dying people explain what really matters

Facing death, these people found a clarity about how to live

A new start after 60: I lost my husband, spoke my mind – and became an Instagram star at 97

Dorothy Wiggins was devastated when her husband died. But she was determined to embrace life, and quickly found fame when a journalist friend started filming her escapades in New York

A dinner party for dead guests serves up surprising connections

My friends came to a silent supper with their dead friends and relatives so that we could grieve our loved ones together

‘There was blood. A dash to the hospital. No heartbeat’ – how I survived the stillbirth of my son

My world came crashing down when my baby died. The future my wife and I had been planning for nine months had been snatched away, and for fathers like me there seemed to be no one to turn to

After my husband died, I struggled to listen to music – but now I find comfort in the songs he loved

Music was Margaret McNally and her husband’s shared love language. Two years after his death, she’s working through his playlist to keep his spirit alive

A sting in the tale: weaving with nettles helped turn grief into joy

Recovering from the loss of his wife, Allan Brown turned his hand to an ancient craft

‘I’m a chef and I forgot how to bake a cake’: why trauma often leads to brain fog and amnesia

Shock, stress and grief can have a devastating effect on memory – but there are ways to bring it back

‘People want to shake it out’: dance away the tears at a ‘grief rave’ in a pink disco kiosk

London artist Annie Frost Nicholson is touring her Fandangoe Discoteca dancefloor to help people process bereavement

Almost two years after my husband’s death I’m still grieving – but I’m also living in his honour

For Margaret McNally, a chance encounter helped spark her realisation that during bereavement there is joy – and a life to live

A new start after 60: backpacking in the Himalayas, I found the courage to change my life

After two decades of work, work and more work, Ann Halloran decided it was time to leave her comfort zone. And it all began with a broken walking stick