On the 19^th April 2014 I sadly lost an extremely special person, my Grandad. After just over a year of investigations and treatments he unfortunately died from cancer. Thankfully the majority of that year was spent symptomless with only minimal medical interventions required. However, during the last few weeks his pain was no longer under control and home care was not appropriate. My Grandad was admitted to The Countess Mountbatten Hospice in Southampton which is where he spent the final few weeks of his life.

The Countess Mountbatten Hospice provided a high level of holistic care to both my Grandad and his family as we were able to spend every minute at his bedside. Family was something that was extremely close to my Grandad’s heart so being able to spend this time together was extremely precious. I truly believe that we unknowingly began the grieving process together and during the final days we were able to share tears, memories and laughter as we said our farewells.    

I am hoping to raise as much money as I can in order to fund and support this specialist palliative care hospice as I truly believe that they made a huge difference during this unendingly emotional time. During my teen years I also lost my Father to a subarachnoid haemorrhage (a type of stroke caused by bleeding on the surface of the brain). Due to the sudden nature of his death I was unable to say goodbye which is something that prohibits closure. I understand that these events are incomparable as death is an individualised and complex issue. However, I will be always eternally grateful to the The Countess Mountbatten for giving me the opportunity to say “I love you” to my Grandad.

In order to raise money I will be completing the following:

-          Silva Glow Night 5km Run Southampton 11^th February 2015 http://bit.ly/1s7oeHJ

-          ABP 10km Southampton 26^th April 2015 http://bit.ly/1rUSTq8

-          *Bournemouth Half Marathon 4^th October 2015 http://bit.ly/1vLhxdC

Please help raise money to support palliative care services for patients and their families.

 *I haven’t booked the half marathon yet as I need to see how I cope with the 10km. I will keep you posted though as it something I am really going to push myself for.

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