2012 I stood proudly beside my mum as we posed for photos at my wedding not knowing that there was a battle occurring inside her body.  Late 2012 Mum started to suffer from back pain with no known cause and in 2013 we found out she had stage 4 diffuse B-cell Lymphoma (DBCL).  This means the cancer had spread throughout her lymphatic system and had invaded her spine.  Undergoing chemotherapy Mum lost her hair, weight and a few inches off her height, but she never lost her fighting spirit or faith.  It's that strength that showed me just how impressive she is and reminded me of all the things she has given me over my life.  Mum got the all clear in 2014 and in 2015 I joined the motherhood club.  I can't imagine what my Mum went through or the strength she used to keep it all together and not show her concern.  It's because of this I am putting my body through a marathon of the swimming kind.  

26 consecutive days, 26.2 miles or to be precise 1688 lengths of my local pool.  But why if all is fine now?

Well the Aberdeen & North Centre for Haematology, Oncology & Radiotherapy (ANCHOR) unit in Aberdeen is the reason.  They were the ones who treated my mum and others like her throughout the North-East of Scotland.  They are the ones who gave help, support and added the 'caring' touch.  They provided nice blankets for when she was cold during chemo, not the NHS scratchy ones, and have staff who come round and can talk to you or do your nails.  It was them that helped Mum get her wig and told her of the support networks in Aberdeen and the facilities available.  They held her hand.  They are the ones that helped mum win this round of this battle.  They are the ones that help people all over the NE and, like everywhere in the NHS, there are more services and facilities they could get if they had the money.

I'm asking you to donate not for me or my Mum, but for that someone that we all know thats' been affected by cancer.  One in three of us will get it at some point and units like ANCHOR make the fight possible and sometimes they are victorious.  Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Donate what you can and please if you see me plodding away in the pool give me a wave or a smile.  Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.