My father was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2018 (a few weeks before my wedding day.) he was almost instantly taken into hospitals for scans, tests and due to his condition rapidly deterriorating, we later found out it had spread to his bones. He remained in the nightingale Mcmillan unit for most of the time, he came home rarely and had a driver fitted that continuously gave him an array of high drugs. He was unable to drive and before long he couldnt move without crying out in pain. My wedding day arrived and he was collected from hospital in his suit- he was so brave and smiled throughout the day accompanying me down the isle in a wheel chair despite desperately trying to walk. He returned to hospital in the early hours of the following day screaming out in agony and spent more weeks in the unit. He was finally able to come home and have another session of immunotherapy. He awoke the next morning with a tight chest and the colour drained from his face, this was the first day he went to ward 403 - the high dependency unit.

My father‘s cancer had become more aggressive and had spread rapidly, it was now taking over his brain and after being told this, we lost him a matter of days later. Throughout the process, the staff on this ward allowed me to shout and scream at them like it was their fault, they held me as I spent time crying and they cared for my Dad ensuring his dignity was always in tact and with great compassion. I feel that the staff there,who on a daily basis: care for the ill, see many people take their final breath, have to call families and tell them their loved one is detteriorating and hold grieving daughters, wives and parents deserve to be thanked and acknowledged. It is with this that I will be running the Tissington marathon on the 28th April 2019 to raise money for the staff on ward 403 in memory of my father. I hope the money will allow for staff to have access to support themselves, have access to counselling more often, have more people on shift, update their family room or potentially have more equipment to keep people comfortable who are battling horrendous illnesses.

Anything you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you xx