In December 2014, my dad was told he had a dark patch in his brain. By the time January rolled around, a biopsy led to an inconclusive result and bleeding in the brain caused him to be almost completely paralysed in his left side. We didn’t need another biopsy to confirm it was cancer – it was pretty much a given at this point. The official name for it is a glioblastoma stage 4 and his life expectancy has been substantially foreshortened.

While Dad was receiving radiotherapy, I researched cancer charities in Fife and came across Maggie's. I'd heard of it but I'd assumed it was just for breast cancer. I popped in to see if they could help with a question regarding power of attorney and ended up crying over a cup of tea and a warm chat. They gave me so much information, along with a timetable of activities my dad or family could take part in. My dad currently attends an art therapy session every week. 

For me, Maggie's is a warm friendly place to talk to people who are non judgemental and understand what it's like to have the big C affect your life. For my dad, it's a good excuse to get out the house. We are so grateful to Maggie's Fife for being there.

I knew I wanted to fundraise for Maggie's, and I'm not the type of person to do things half heartedly. I immediately thought of body art. My family aren't particularly chuffed with the tattoos I have currently, whereas this one really makes a difference. A tattoo is painful for me but it is nothing compared to having to go through chemo or radiotherapy or losing function in a part of your body. 

A £5 donation gives you one vote for a body part where you want me to get the Maggie's tattoo. Nothing above the neck or in the crotch area but there are heaps of spots to choose from! As soon as we hit 500 pounds, I'll count the votes. Of course, you can donate and not vote - but where's the fun in that ;)

Body parts; left shoulder, right shoulder, left inner arm, right inner arm, left wrist, right wrist, right shoulder blade, rib cage, lower back, left hip, right hip, left upper thigh, left knee, right knee, back of left thigh, back of right thigh, back of left calf, left foot, right foot. 

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.