P 66NETWORK SHE the final word... s a mother of two teenage daughters and Area Manager of Victim Support, a charity that supports victim of crime, I don't often get the opportunity to have ' the final word'. I am sure that for most harassed working parents, like myself, it is far easier to stay quiet knowing that if we had had the final word; it would have been extremely poignant and meaningful. However, it does make me consider, rather morbidly, what my final words might be on my deathbed. Would my final words be awe inspiring and comprehensible enough to make my family take note and wonder at my passing? I can imagine myself looking like a 1940' s film star, glamorous and elegantly draped across a beautifully upholstered chaise longue. ( I would have reached a size 8 by this time) A long, floaty chiffon night dress rustling gently from the slight breeze through the window, surrounded by a silently sobbing attentive family. But what would I say? Josephine Baker was a famed starlet and heroine of the French Resistance who had an unhealthy ( or should that be applauded) appetite for young men. She passed away at the age of 68 from a stroke after reportedly attempting to seduce a man several decades younger than she was. Her final utterance was " Oh, you young people act like old men. You have no fun." A woman after my own heart? Those of us who have lived full lives, spoken our minds and readily joined in life's ongoing conversations would be inspired by Karl Marx who, when asked for his last words replied " Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!" But is it foolish to want to be remembered for a last parting shot? Knowing my luck, my last words would be more along the lines of Conrad Hilton whose famous final words were " Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub." So even though I would like to think that my own final parting words would be worthy of Wikipedia and quoted by generations to come, they are more likely to echo those of Ivanka Perko, Nazi and communist regime survivor who's final words were " I can't believe, after all this time, it was a bloody banana that killed me." Victim Support is an independent charity supporting victims and witnesses of crime. If you would like to talk to them in confidence, please call 0845 2412410 A byCarolyn Hodrien Carolyn Hodrien ( bottom left hand) surrounded by her family