The day would start just like any other day, but it would be the last. Face to face with that eerie possibility, Ava Neal would spend her entire last day wrapped in the comfort of those whom she would miss the most.

Neal, a junior Accounting major, admits she has not prepared for a final day. So when she thought about how she would spend her final hours, she had a simple answer: tacos, movies and love.

“I think I would just order a bunch of tacos … hang out with my mom and cat… then just die in peace,” she said.

No bucket list items. Just a quiet day filled with familiar joy. Spending the day just like most days. Just more time spent intentionally watching her favorite tear-jerking films cozied up with her mom.

“I’d wake up, do quadrobics with my cat … and then start watching movies with my mom,” she said. “’Pride and Prejudice’ … the 2005 version with Keira Knightley … ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’ are my top three.”

Neal’s ideal last meal would be simple.

 “Some bread… and buffalo dip… maybe even some popcorn from Emagine theatre [in Portage],” she said. Her final words would equally simple.

“I love you, mama,” said Neal.