I have done Some things for charity before but NOTHING has EVER been as close to my heart as this

My Dad had cancer of the liver
it quickly spread and it was less than 3 months from diagnosis to his release

He never grumbled or hid from what was going to happen
he worried about my mother and how things would be
but never batted an eye to his fate right to the very end
that's a strength of character i can only hope to achieve

All the time his second family were the St Oswald's staff
all the staff introduced themselves to him
they all talked to him (by his name, Brian) as if he were family
the never pulled him around
they always talked to him before they did anything
and they checked to know he’d understood

they give 110% of themselves
i don’t know how they could be like that to strangers
well i guess its because they were not strangers

they get to know the patients and the families

when i was in the room with my dad the staff always offered a cuppa
or asked if they could do anything for me as well as my dad

as the end grew close
and i was sleeping there with him
they would bring pillows and blankets when they did there rounds
and a glass of water or hot chocolate etc caring as much for us
as they did for my dad

NOW - I get to give something back

and yes it will be doing something i have longed to do - the GREAT NORTH RUN

BUT - To do it in Honour of my Dad

AND

for all the staff of St Oswalds
( and i mean all the staff - from nurses and carers to the reception and canteen people and those that do the jumble sales , even the poor clinical and administrative staff that have to talk to the relatives after the eventual happens. )

And to run it on what will be 3 days after the 2nd anniversary of his death ( 2nd Oct 2006 )

it will be the BEST and the HARDEST run of my life

I am not sure how much of the Tyne Bridge, Gateshead or South Shields i will see because it will be so emotional

I want to raise as much as i can for these people
its costing £250 for my place or rather that is the minimum i should need to raise well ... i will pay that myself .. see the first entry

you see

My company Deutsche Bank does a Matched giving scheme and they will match what i collect from other DB employees up to a certain value ( i think its a few thousand ) - So if you are a DB employee Please put (DB) after your name.

ie JOE BLOGS (DB)

Please donate whatever you can spare

Eventually - we will all need people like this
maybe because we have been diagnosed with something we would rather not know about
and i hope these people will still be around to offer the level of care they do

Please dig deep and sponsor me online.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: St Oswald's Hospice will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support.

Yours
Graham Hearn and all my Family