Simon Boas – an Inspirational Human Being

Some of you will have seen interviews in both print and on TV and radio with Simon Boas over the last few weeks and months – Simon died recently at Jersey Hospice at age 46. Nothing I can say will do sufficient justice to the power, joy, and humour of Simon’s words, so I won’t even try, but I did just want to add some personal reflections.

I met Simon not long after I came to Jersey in 2021 to take on the role of Chief Executive of Jersey Hospice Care. Simon had developed the work of Jersey Overseas Aid significantly in his 6 years in charge and I was keen to see how, with both my Jersey Hospice Care and ICPCN hats on, we might work together to encourage and facilitate greater palliative care provision worldwide.

As someone whose entire working life had been spent in the UK until I came to Jersey, I was hugely impressed by Simon’s career and CV – ranging from aid/development work in Gaza and Vietnam, to acting as an adviser to Governments. I was also impressed that Jersey had its own Overseas Aid organisation and budget and it was clear to me that Simon had ensured significant steps had been taken to increase both the monies available and the effectiveness of how that aid was spent, building particularly on some of Jersey’s key strengths.

But what struck me most then and since was Simon’s love of life. One could not but warm to him and be swept along by his infectious enthusiasm.

For many of us in Jersey, news of his illness came as a huge shock, not least given his comparative youth. As the prognosis became clearer and the illness started taking a greater toll, his joy in life remained undiminished. He made an early visit to Hospice as part of his planning and he took pleasure in writing articles for the Jersey Evening Post, some of which were then noticed and picked up by UK media. This came to the attention of King Charles who wrote to him just before he died.

Simon took the opportunity to speak out about the importance of and the quality of the palliative care he received and helped Hospice breakdown some of the many myths from which the sector suffers including that Hospices are sad places – they’re not and they were even less so when Simon did arrive for a longer and final stay.

His book – “A Beginners Guide to Dying” – is Simon to a “t” – quirky, thoughtful but joyful, and an inspiration. In this book, Simon collates the things that have given him peace and contentment and why dying at 46 isn’t that bad. We were delighted that one of his dying wishes was to donate his advance to the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) with the potential for further donations from later profits on sales. A Beginner’s Guide to Dying, will be published later this year in September. The book is available for pre-order from Amazon, Waterstones, and publisher Swift Press.

Simon spent his last few days in Jersey Hospice, surrounded by family and friends, and I was able to join them to spend a few hours with them all before he died. Simon faced death, as most of us hope we will, calm and looking back with huge happiness and satisfaction at a life well-lived. He has inspired me as he has many thousands of others not just in Jersey but further afield – and I’m proud to be able to call him a friend.