On Saturday 24th August 2019 my world was blown apart - I got a phone call to say my sister, my best friend and my go too had passed away. No warning, no illness, no time to prepare and no thought process of how I’d cope without her. Julie passed away suddenly on a night out with her husband in Belfast. The staff in the bar preformed CPR while awaiting on the ambulance to arrive, the doctors and nurses in the RVH worked with Julie doing all they could but they couldn’t save her. A doctor told me personally he worked extremely hard to save her because it didn’t make sense how she could just be gone in an instant.

Growing up I always looked up to Julie - she was the 'big sis', she was funny (sometimes embarrassing), witty, extremely talented but mostly caring and kind hearted. She would never see anyone go without or see anyone down in the dumps. She would of given you her last or done a silly impersonation to cheer you up. she was such a light in life and anyone who knew and loved her huge personality.

Julie was an actress and preformed on many a stage in Belfast and around the world. She brought to the stage laughter, tears, a rollercoaster of emotions along with some of the best comedy most people have ever seen. She gave so much to the world in 36 years - more than most people do in a lifetime.

I want people to remember Julie - her beautiful ways, her creative streak and amazing talent but mostly for the class person she was.

The bar that Julie was in that night didn’t have a defibrillator on their premises so my aim is to raise enough money to buy one and maybe one day it’ll save a life and save a family the heartache of losing a loved one. If I can help a wee sister not to have to endure the heartache of losing her big sis then I’ll have made a huge difference. No one should ever loose a loved one and especially not suddenly or at a young age. A defibrillator can save a life within a second and give a family the chance to keep their loved ones safe.

During the month of September I’m asking family, friends, colleagues, everyone and anyone to take a hike up our local Cavehill. Do it with friend or by yourself. Get to the top and take a selfie (juls loved a good selfie) and send it to me. During this hike think of Julie and what this cause is for, think of a life that could be saved by getting this defibrillator for the next emergency. Donate as little or as much as you can - every penny counts. Even if you can’t stand the thought of a hike of the Cavehill just donate anyway lol.

On the last Sunday in September I’ll be doing the hike with my two children (Alex 12 and Gracie 6 - which ill probably end up carrying one of them) along with other family members and close friends. I will hopefully be able to announce that day that we have broken our target amount and maybe even be able to buy more defibrillator for places in and around Belfast that need them, how amazing would that be??!!

Thank you for taking time to read this and I’ll hopefully be seeing all your beautiful faces in those selfies at the top of the Cavehill.

Love Stace

xxxxx