'It's unusual to grieve this way,' says widow of aid worker Simon Boas

Aurelie Boas, whose husband was recognised for his "inspirational" perspective on death, has spoken of her "surreal" final days with him.

Aid worker Simon Boas died in July, aged 47. He gained widespread acclaim for writing about coming to terms with his terminal throat cancer diagnosis.

Mr Boas's book, A Beginner's Guide to Dying, will be published posthumously on Thursday.

Mrs Boas has been overseeing its publication and told the BBC it was "a bit unusual to grieve this way".

"It's a great responsibility for me to have to be in charge, but it's quite wonderful to have this legacy," she told Radio 4's Today programme.

The book collects Mr Boas's writing about death, which has captured many readers for its unexpected positivity.

In his final weeks, he said he was "as happy as I've ever been in my life".

Mrs Boas said her husband knew he would not live to see his book published: "He was trying so hard to let go of things. He knew he had done his part, he let it go."

He did, however, see the book's cover after a quick turnaround from the design team. "It was done overnight, which I think was a record for the publisher," Mrs Boas told the BBC.

She went on to say that her husband started "pulling away a bit" in what she thinks was an effort, consciously or unconsciously, to ready her for his death. "I think he prepared me very well," she said.

"I feel very grateful in the way we managed to discuss everything, but also have normal days."

Mr Boas spent the end of his life in a Jersey hospice with his wife by his side.

The couple were surrounded by framed photographs and vases from their home, as well as cards from friends. "We took everything with us," Mrs Boas said.

She also shared that before her husband moved into the hospice, the couple took a drive around the island: "He wanted to see Jersey one last time. It was a lovely day."

Mrs Boas described her husband's final days as "both surreal and magical, as strange as it sounds".

The couple watched Wimbledon on TV together. Mr Boas would sometimes have hallucinations, leading to odd questions such as: "Is it possible I just saw a dog on the tennis court?" His wife would tell him no, "but it's wonderful that you did".

"He kept his very good sense of humour, even when he was a bit out of it," she said.

Aurelie Boas's husband Simon said death was "not something to be frightened of"

Mr Boas spent his career travelling the world as an aid worker, which took him to the Gaza Strip, Rwanda and Ukraine.

This, as well as his volunteer work with suicide prevention charity Samaritans, led him to tell the Today programme less than two weeks before he died that "death has been more a part of my life than for many people".

Mr Boas was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in September 2023 and began writing about his experience. His articles framed death in what many saw as a radical and inspiring way.

"It does us all good to think about it," he said during that same BBC interview.

"By kind of realising it's inevitable and it's a part of life, it actually throws life into perspective and helps you to enjoy it more and prioritise the important things."

After his writing went viral, Mr Boas received a letter of recognition from the King.

The monarch - who is undergoing cancer treatment himself - intended to deliver the letter by hand during a planned royal visit to Jersey. But when it became clear that Mr Boas would not live until then, the Jersey governor delivered it instead.

"That was a beautiful moment," Mrs Boas said. "The governor left and Simon fell asleep again in a second after perking up for 15 minutes, which I didn’t think he would manage."

She said it was a "beautiful letter", which acknowledged the King's admiration for Simon's courage.

Reflecting on her final days with her husband, Mrs Boas said it "sounds a bit crazy looking back".

"But it felt right. We settled, we watched a lot of tennis, and then Simon drifted off as planned."

Mrs Boas is due to pick up her husband's royal letter on Wednesday. "I promised Simon it would be framed and put in the downstairs loo," she said.

A statement from Jersey Overseas Aid said Simon Boas died peacefully in Jersey surrounded by his family