On April 13th this year, I am taking part in the 2008 Flora London Marathon. I am very proud to be running and raising money for the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home (IRHH) which is a registered charity offering specialist palliative nursing care at home to patients with terminal illness within the Chilterns. IRHH helps around 850 patients a year and offers a 24 hour service 365 days a year from specialist nurses who aim to provide a dignified and pain free life for patients for as long as possible. The charity receives only a fraction of its funding from the NHS and so is largely dependent on fundraising to provide an invaluable service.

Having worked as a GP in Buckinghamshire for the last 10 years, I have witnessed on numerous occasions how the Iain Rennie nurses have made a huge difference to terminally ill patients and their families.  However, when my father sadly died from cancer 2 years ago, my family and I experienced first hand what an incredible service IRHH provides to dying patients and their relatives. It is heartbreaking to watch someone you love die and the feeling of helplessness is overwhelming, but the professional, practical and emotional support given by the Iain Rennie nurses helped to make Dad's last days as bearable as possible.

I cannot speak highly enough of the nurses who cared for Dad as well as the support they showed to us as a family. I hope that as many people as possible in the future can access this priceless service should they find themselves in a similar desperately sad situation.  It is so important for IRHH to continue their work with terminally ill patients and all contributions however large or small make this possible. If you do feel able to sponsor me in the marathon, it will help to make that difference to many more people like my Dad.

Thank you so much,

Caroline.

PS - donating on this website is fast, simple, secure, and if you are a British taxpayer, the charity can receive an additional 28% of your donation at absolutely no cost to you.