A tremendous thank you to all members of 'Team Jackie' who have contributed towards us reaching and exceeding our fundraising target of £1800: Claudia, Suze, Auntie Patsy, Jennie, Jill and, of course, all of our family, friends and colleagues who supported us in a variety of lovely ways. We raised £2332 and in doing so have paid back the equivalent of the 4 days end of life care that my beautiful Mum recieved from Rowcroft Hospice and contributed towards the vital work provided by Cancer Research. I miss my Mum everyday and I still can't believe that she has died - it really hurts, but I am so incredibly grateful to have such superb family and friends ☆¸.•*¨*`•.¸☆ ♥
My 'Jackie' story ☆¸.•*¨*`•.¸☆ ♥
Jackie was my Mum ♥. She brought me up on her own and loved me with the intensity of a supernova, but like all intense lights my Mum faded quicker than most and she died of cancer on the 2 September 2010; aged just 56 years old. Like the explosion of any giant star her death feels like it has left a black hole shattering my heart that I don’t think will ever fully disappear. What I do know though is that I will feel her love shining on me for the rest of my life, especially when I look at my children.
My chosen charity ☆¸.•*¨*`•.¸☆ ♥
My Mum was admitted to hospital with a suspected blood clot, the next day she was told that she had terminal lung cancer. The time from her diagnosis to her death was just one month and one day. During that time my Mum’s health deteriorated rapidly and she suffered excruciating pain and lost all her mobility. I cared for my Mum as part of a family ‘army’ who mobilised together to ensure that she was never alone and that she knew how much we all loved her. My Mum laughed more than she cried during that time; she was beyond courageous as were my family. The final days of her life were spent as an in-patient at Rowcroft Hospice. The harrowing agony of not being able to control her pain or to save her life were replaced by a feeling of calm and a degree of acceptance, which I know that she felt too.
My Mum had her own room, with a private garden and a bed for us to sleep in with her. There she was able to say a gentle goodbye to her beloved grandchildren - my children; Claudia and Jack. Surrounded by a wonderful team of people, who provided the highest standard of care and pain relief, our family could make the most of every precious moment we had left. The staff and facilities at Rowcroft gave my Mum peace and dignity in dying; for that I will always be grateful.
Rowcroft Hospice must raise over £4.3 million pounds a year to continue providing its care and relies heavily on the kind and generous support of the local community. Less than one third of Rowcroft’s costs come from the NHS. The majority of Rowcroft’s funding comes from voluntary donations and support from the community, such as fundraisers.
How my fundraising for Rowcroft will help:
☆ £4.50 will provide food and drink for a patient for the day.
☆ £15 will fund an hour's nursing.
☆ £85 will pay for a visit from a member of Rowcroft's community team enabling a terminally ill patient to stay at home.
☆ £450 will provide 24 hours of care for a patient in Rowcroft's care.
I am determined to pay back the total amount of money it cost for the four days my Mum spent in Rowcroft - £1800. My 'Just Giving' page and my families ‘Team’ page will chart this commitment.
My fundraisers for 2011 ☆¸.•*¨*`•.¸☆ ♥
Torbay Half Marathon on Sunday 19 June 2011
I am currently in training to run the Half Marathon with my super-fit and super-lovely Auntie Patsy and her friend, Jill. The race route passes along Torquay seafront and will remind me of the long, happy summers I spent on the beach with my Mum. You can read my training highs and lows on my blog:
http://itsallforcharitymate.blogspot.com/
☆¸.•*¨*`•.¸☆ ♥ WHEN YOU DONATE GUESS MY TIME FOR THE HALF MARATHON AND THE CLOSEST TIME WINS A BOTTLE OF PINK MOET CHAMPAGNE :) ☆¸.•*¨*`•.¸☆ ♥
ALSO WHEN YOU DONATE, PLEASE SUGGEST A MOTIVATION SONG FOR MY TRAINING :)
Rowcroft's Sleep Walk on Saturday 9 July 2011
The Sleep Walk is a sponsored 5 or 10 mile ladies only night walk. I will be walking the streets of Torquay in my pyjamas with three generations of ladies from my wonderful family, including my daughter Claudia and my best friend Susannah.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and hopefully to donate, I cried so much having to write it ☆¸.•*¨*`•.¸☆ ♥
If you would prefer to donate to a generic cancer charity, then please have a look at my daughter Claudia's 'Just Giving' page as we will be doing a 'Race for Life' together for 'Cancer Research' and she will be doing the Torbay Half Marathon one mile fun-run . I am so proud of her as she is only 12 years old and is as committed to fundraising as I am. ☆¸.•*¨*`•.¸☆ ♥
