Regrettably terminal illness has no respect for age.

It can strike anyone, even children and young people.

My son Christopher was only 19 when he died in hospice, twelve months after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

There was no possibility of cure for Christopher, but hospice staff were able to help ease the pain and other distressing symptoms associated with his illness. You can’t imagine what that meant to us, to know that he was comfortable and not suffering in any way.

It also meant a lot to us that the staff were there to support us in any way they could. They talked to Christopher and to us and explained what was happening every step of the way. They listened to us and helped us cope with our fears, anxieties and our sadness. Sometimes they were just a shoulder to cry on but I don’t know how we would have got through it without them.

It is for patients like Christopher that I am asking for your support. Christopher was a much loved son and we were comforted by how the hospice staff cared for him so lovingly in those last few weeks.  You can help other patients and families living in the shadow of terminal illness to receive the care that they need and deserve by making a donation to the 2008 Hospice Walk appeal.  

Christopher died in June 2007. He couldn’t join in last year’s Hospice Walk but it meant a lot to him. Sadly hospice only receives a percentage of its running costs from government and it is heavily dependant upon our support for events like the Hospice Walk to raise the money it needs.

I realise that not everyone will be able to join in this year but you can help me to ensure that  hospice gets the money it so urgently needs by making a donation.

Thank You

Peggy Smith