This year I will turn 30 and mum would have turned 60. My birthday always falls around the London marathon and I had always said to myself I would run one marathon in my life. When mum passed away in 2016 I was even more determined to do the things I had always wanted to do and I also had a charity to do it for.
Mum had fought off breast cancer in 2014 and we had hoped kicked it’s arse! Sadly though, in summer 2015 it became clear that all was not well, and she was diagnosed with metatstatic brain cancer. For 5 months she underwent numerous treatments to try to give her more time however none were fully successful. Mum died at home surrounded by family on the 2nd April 2016.

St Catherine’s hospice were there for us all from the moment we were given the palliative diagnosis. From working in the healthcare profession I have seen first hand how hard it can be to access and receive the things you need. St Catherine’s ensured we had everything set up at home so we could fulfil mum’s wish of dying with dignity in her own home surrounded by our family. The outreach team were always there when we needed them 24 hours a day, yet were never intrusive. Without St Catherine’s Hospice, it would never have been possible to spend mum’s last days together surrounded by her own creature comforts. 

The team at St Catherine’s also didn’t stop supporting us once mum had passed away but reached out to offer councilling and other support services to us. For want of a better expression, St Catherine’s give you an invisible comfort blanket at a time when you feel the rug has been whipped away from underneath you. 

Mum always went the extra mile for people and taught us that it’s the effort which you put in that counts, not necessarily the result. Hopefully my marathon miles embody these sentiments and allow St Catherine’s to carry on going the extra mile for anyone that needs them. I will always be grateful to St Catherine’s for enabling me to care for mum in the way she deserved and hopefully pay back just a tiny bit of what she afforded me and Heather our whole lives.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I am fundraising for St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley; a local charity with big ambition. St Catherine’s vision is for a world where everyone facing death and bereavement can do so informed, supported and pain free. Their team of experts are there for people in West Sussex and East Surrey when they need support the most, and they rely on donations to be able to offer their pioneering care. Please donate today and help St Catherine’s be there for people when life comes full circle.