“Part of what makes us human is what we mean to other people and what people mean to us”

No one wants to live their life in pain of illness that they never asked for …illnesses are out of our control but play a critical role in deciding how one lives after being diagnosed. Whilst all of this sounds gloomy and sad.. Unfortunately it is real and a part of what makes us human beings..

My good friends (Atish and Stefan) and I (Manu) have something in common. We lost someone dear to illnesses that were not within our control… our stories are below…

Reading through the stories below you will see that life is a rollercoaster of fun and sadness so we decided to beat the sadness and do something for a good cause whilst celebrating life and having fun... something that will make us feel good about contributing to the people around us.. Something that will show what people mean to us..

So we decided to climb Kilimanjaro after a lengthy debate ... Naïve as we were we signed up to scaling this mammoth of a mountain without realising that it is the highest free standing mountain in the World and the highest mountain in Africa standing tall at circa 6000 metres. Crazy as we are there is no turning back once committed… so we kicked off our physically and mentally challenging journey…

We will keep you updated through our page on how we are training ourselves.. We need your support to raise a good sum of money for the Hospice. You can find information on the good work they do for people with terminal illnesses. 

Stefan

This is my story on why I want to raise funds for the hospice.
I never knew what a hospice was or what they do until the day they supported our family, for that I will be forever grateful. I wish to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in order to raise funds for the Hospice UK so that they may continue to help families going through similar situation like mine.

My dad and I enjoyed our fun runs and I always knew my dad as a healthy man who used to do half marathons with ease. One sad day my family and I were shocked with the news that he had cancer and the doctors gave him 3 months to live. 

My father being a strong man was still alive after 3 months and stayed at home but as his health continued to deteriorate we could no longer support him at home, especially on Tuesdays after chemotherapy.
That was the first time I learnt what a hospice is, I remember seeing him smile... He mentioned that the people treated him with so much love and care, I remember thinking that the hospice staff are real life angels. My father stayed there for just over a month. Honestly, I believe that staying there prolonged his life. It gave me the change to tell him I was selected as a prefect at school, my sister got into university and my oldest sister passed her first year of medicine. 

To all the hospice staff and everyone sponsoring us, Thank You!!.

Manu

I still remember vividly my Mum Standing at gate.. waving goodbye.. tears in her eyes but still smiling.. little black scarf on her head covering the baldness she developed from the chemotherapy . 

We just got the news a few days ago from the doctors that she is in the clear from Cancer.. Ohh what a relief in the family.. change of environment completely and so I booked my flight tickets.. packed my bags to pursue my career in the UK… 

Three months after the illness recurred and this time it was terminal. My mum always knew how keen I was to make a career in the UK and so she decided not to tell me that she will be leaving soon. I only realised this after she passed away that my mum wanted me to focus on my future rather than go back home to take care of her. After five years I still feel guilty of not being able to spend that precious time with her…

My dad, brother and sister were fortunate to take care of her ..

I wish to raise funds for the Hospice because I recognise how important it is for your loved ones to be taken care of whilst you cannot do it yourselves for whatever reason. I don’t believe it is fair or even human to spend the last days alone, especially when in pain…

I hope you can help me raise funds and be a part of the good job the Hospice is doing..

Atish

I can still remember to this day clearly, I was only 12 and half way through the day at school in an English class when I heard May’s (my sister) name and mine called on the tannoy. I thought we had done something wrong and was heading to the principal’s office for punishment. What were you up to again? We said to each other! 

It actually turned out that my uncle was picking us up. He didn’t look happy at all, it was only when we sat down in the car that he said nervously that our dad passed away that morning.

My dad had a simple operation for an appendix removal, though a simple procedure he never recovered fully from the operation..

What I remember is how well he was taken care of by the hospital staff during and after the operation. Even under extreme pressure and whilst dealing with life and death situations, they provide a service with smile.. and that is really brave. I believe my contribution through this fund raising will help the Hospice provide this service further to many more patients who need it..

Quote from Hospice…
 “We believe that everyone matters all the way through their life until the moment they die, and that no one should die in avoidable pain, suffering or emotional distress. We want to make sure that everyone with a life-limiting or terminal condition gets the very best care, and we believe hospices are critical to achieving this.”