Cancer surgeon writes his own joke-filled obituary before dying
A US surgeon has jumped the gun and written a quirky obituary about himself before he died at 48.
Dr Thomas Lee Flanagan passed on April 27, but his cause of death is not publicly known.
In a post published on Legacy.com - a website dedicated to obituaries - he jokingly described himself as the “Ginger God of Surgery and Shenanigans”.
“Yes, I have joined the likes of Princess Diana, John Belushi, and Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter in leaving while still at the top of my game as an iconic superhero who seemed almost too good to be true,” he wrote.
According to the post, the army veteran and father of three said he married his wife Amy so he could make husband jokes, then had three children so he could make Dad jokes.
“It did not disappoint,” he wrote.
“The jokes I mean, but Amy and the kids were pretty good too.”
Flanagan writes that his time “was magical” and “saw some other delightful things in my time here - Hawaiian volcanoes, Egyptian pyramids, and even the advent of air fryers.”
Though he “dabbled” in a few things, including serving his country in the army and saving lives as a surgeon and MD, his real legacy is the bad Dad jokes and Facebook memes he’ll leave behind.
“What was I to this world if not a beacon of light shining upon those who couldn’t scan the internet for their own hilarious and entertaining comic relief?” he wrote.
“I guess what I am trying to say is that you’re welcome and you owe me big time.”
He ends his obituary announcing he is riding off into the sunset “after re-enlisting with a new unit.”
He continued, “Due to the unknown and cosmic nature of my next mission, this will be our last communication. It will self-destruct in five minutes.”
Though his whereabouts “are now top secret” he has made new friends called Elvis and Kenny.
“The Church of Tom is closed for business, but please continue to worship me, light candles, and send money. You know the deal,” the obituary read.
Tributes to Flanagan also flooded in on the online condolence page.
“You meant so very much to me. The world is dimmer without you in it,” a former patient wrote.