Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. You may have seen that Just Giving revamped their web site just the week my page was starting off and that there have been some technical difficulties. To those of you who have donated, thank you for your perseverance.
Diana, Sean, Fiona and I are raising money to fund the training of more Marie Curie nurses because they made such a difference to the last few weeks of our friend Jenny who died of cancer this month. We had our hair shaved on Friday 26th June, which
just happens to be Jenny's husband Gordon's birthday. I must confess I am rather
relieved it isn't the middle of winter and very cold but on the west
coast of Scotland, exposing any part of your skin to the midges is
pretty hairy (pun intended!)
We'd like to thank Catherine at Style Argyll for being so gentle and for doing it free.
The background
Janet (Jenny) Cameron was a lovely lady. She and her husband Gordon were amongst the first to welcome us when we moved to Tarbert. We are building a new house and Gordon offered to help with the electrics. Shortly after making this offer, their own house flooded and they ended up ripping out their kitchen and digging new drains. Despite this, they were up helping get our house ready for my mother to come and visit at Christmas. We knew Jenny wasn't well then but she was putting a brave face on it and far more interested in our plans for the house and garden.
The cancer was systemic. We went on holiday to visit our daughter in Australia, wishing Jenny well. But by the time we returned, things had got so bad that she had been offered a place in a hospice. Both she and Gordon were determined that Jenny stay at home for as long as possible. The hospice is 3 hours away and as long as she stayed at home, she could enjoy seeing her new kitchen being finished and see her wonderful garden out of the window. As her sight failed, she could remember these things and know with certainty what was around her.
It was almost impossible to visit without someone else being there. Jenny was a much loved person and she always rallied to smile or share a joke with her visitors. Gordon was a hero. Family came to stay and help him out but none of it would have been possible without the Marie Curie nurses. Unfortunately there simply aren't enough and without them, he was having to set his alarm and get up every 2 hours during the night. Towards the end, they moved heaven and earth to get someone there each night and it was a huge relief for Gordon to know that a qualified person was on hand.
It costs £2000 to give a nurse the additional training she needs to take on this special role and that is the target we have set – to provide at least one more Mare Curie nurse.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
We appreciate anything you can spare. Mony a mickle maks a muckle.
