Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

The sole purpose of this page is to champion the incredible Marie Curie nurses who helped so ineffably in the dignity and kindness of Mum's death, a little background is required for this which is in no way meant to be pessimistic... however may I suggest that if you're reading this in the evening, glass in hand that you try the drinking game of imbibing every time I say 'Mum'.

Marie Curies mission is 'to support at the end of your life to help you and everyone affected by your diagnosis to achieve the best quality of life, and support you to keep your independence and dignity for as long as possible. This includes treating or managing pain and other symptoms with medicines, therapies and other specialist approaches. It also means giving emotional support to you and your family when you need it most.' 

In the final weeks of Mum's life I met perhaps 6 Marie Curie overnight nurses, all of whom not only lived the ethos of the Marie Curie mission but really went above and beyond this in such a personalised way. 

Running for charity has never been my bag (neither has publically sharing personal accounts!), why would I ask you to sponsor me to do something that I'd like to do by choice?

11 London Marathon ballot rejections and a life changing affirmation to a charity later , here's why;

My Mum Gail died peacefully at home last year with me and my sister present. If anyone has a choice over their death, this is the death Mum would have chosen. 

We moved into our home as a surprise on my sisters 8th birthday, all set up and ready to go. This was so typical of Mum, allowing us to be children by filling our childhoods with simple excitement and protecting us from what must have been difficult times as a single mother. From that day we knew this as our 'forever home' although that term had not been coined back then so rather Mum described it rather more bluntly as 'I will leave this house in a box'.  

Mum was diagnosed with the cruelest combination of diseases, early onset Alzheimer's (in 2013) and later breast cancer (in 2017). After a lifetime of love and security and the unwavering knowledge that Mum would do anything in her power to put our needs first, it was incredibly important to us that we could show her our indebted, grateful appreciation for the wonderful love filled life she had given us by making it possible to fulfill her wish to 'leave this house in a box'.

Mum was the centre of my world, caring for her at home is one of the hardest challenges I will face in my life and there were times I didn't feel strong enough to continue. Without the help of the incredible Marie Curie nurses I'm not positive that I could have. These magnificent humans came into our home showing such tenderness and dignity that I had full trust in the care they gave to Mum, allowing me some precious hours of sleep - a prized resource at this time. 

The strength in Mum's heart and spirit was such that she spent her entire last week on this earth unconscious, surviving on love alone. One aspect of the care required in this state involves hourly mouth care - that's routine care on the hour, every hour for 168 hours, this simply would not have been possible without the overnight help provided by Marie Curie. 

Mum died in the early evening of a snowy night we had a Marie Curie nurse booked to attend, calling ahead to confirm her departure my sister had to give her the news of Mum's death - her patient had died, she was not required. She chose to make the 50 minute journey risking being snowed out of her home to see that we were okay. At one point I would have said that I couldn't  imagine the experience of Mum's death involving anyone other than the 3 of us, now I can't imagine how we would have coped without her. She helped us to cope with our immediate grief in our individual ways but also come together for the laying out of Mum's body - a process that I can now appreciate in being so fundamental to the start of the grief journey. 

Almost as hard as Mum dying is trying to live a life without her in it, overnight I lost the centre of my world and all those who had crucial roles in Mum's final weeks - Marie Curie, District and Macmillan nurses. Life went from what felt like sleep deprived chaos to empty and the people who had witnessed and shared the experience, who's company I craved, had fulfilled their roles and moved on to continue helping other families in their vulnerable time of need - all apart from our amazing Marie Curie nurse. Her job was done yet she continued to maintain contact through text and we have since met on occasions for coffee and even to stand up paddle (SUP) board - this lady is in her early 70's!! She shared for me what was the hardest time in my life yet for her it is a cycle on repeat , the strength that is required to repeat this with such genuine tenderness and dignity astounds me - she is a truly amazing human being. 

Mum and I always enjoyed watching the London Marathon coverage together - yes we would settle down for 6+ hours of viewing. I know how Mum would have loved to see and support me in this feat and making her proud is my only mission in life. I am under no illusion of how hard this will be - especially with minimal run training and more time spent in the saddle. I hope to absorb the experience of what has been a childhood dream and I will take the strength of these two ladies every step of the way. 

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.