"Imagine having to explain to your five year old son that you are sick. It’s something I hope you never have to do, but for me it was one of the most difficult realities of being told I had a life-threatening illness.

I was diagnosed with cancer last year. It was particularly hard because my son, Theo, was so young when I found out. He saw my body changing, me losing my hair and feeling unwell but he didn’t really understand what was going on. 

During my treatment it was really hard to see an end or visualise that I would be ok soon but Theo struggled the most. We desperately needed to spend some time together being a ‘normal’ family. That’s when I applied for my Special Day with Willow and they arranged for us to go to Lapland UK. 

Having a Special Day organised gave us something so special and exciting to look forward to. I would have never been able to do this normally and the excitement of the day brewing was as exciting as Christmas itself. We met Santa and helped him build toys in time for Christmas; a magical time which gave Theo back his mummy, even for just a little while.

This Christmas time, please give a gift of £20 to help Willow create more Special Days when they matter most. Your gift of £20 could help a young mum just like me forget about cancer for a day, be a mum again and create wonderful memories and smiles that will last forever.

For many people this Christmas they will be facing the next round of chemo, surgeries or test results. For others, it could be the last Christmas they have with their loved ones to create precious memories, be together and smile.

If you can spare anything to help support Willow please do. I can guarantee you, Willow Special Days will bring a smile to someone’s face that perhaps hasn’t smiled for a while and create memories that will last a lifetime, give respite from their illness and help them get through their treatment with something to look forward to."