Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I'm running a 7k at Blenheim Palace. It's apparently beautiful but has big, bad boy hills *sighs*.

You've read boring pages before, telling you how amazing people are at running and why you should sponsor them. Well, I'm not 'normal'. Here goes...

Reasons not to sponsor me:

• I’m slower than a sloth on tranquilisers
• I'm overweight
• I've not run 7k, to date so I'm having to train
• I'm grieving for my mum
• I have a mental illness that's being managed but can rear its ugly head sometimes
• I've always said I'd never do a running event - this will be my first

So, why should you sponsor me? 

Because of all the reasons above not to.

Despite my limitations, I am determined to do this.

On 15th July 2017, my Mum died in Sobell House Hospice, Oxford.

From her initial terminal diagnosis until the last breath, Sobell cared for her. They gave her free mobility aids, friendship, day visits, group chats, therapy, and hope for a death that would not be lonely or frightening.

Hospices are amazing

No-one likes to think about death. That’s why we often avoid talking of hospices. 

Hospices are not just places where people die. They are units of empathy and understanding. Those who have terminal illness are given comfort and the opportunity to make decisions.

Hospices offer rest breaks and they support the family and friends of the ill through counselling, advice, and support. 

Hospices tend to their patients’ every need; from food, a bed, dressing, activities, to nursing through every stage of the end of life.

All of this is free for patients and loved ones but it's not free for the hospice. They cannot run without donations. 

So, here’s where I come in, raising money for Sobell House Hospice.

In memory of Kay Cross, my mum

I am the daughter of a woman who fought to live. 

She lived beyond the amount of time given for her survival. She fought breast cancer and won. She battled secondary liver cancer with dignity and courage until the end.

I want to be like my Mum. Despite that earlier list of what I suck at, I am Kay Cross’s daughter. She taught me how to look fear in the eye and kick it up the backside. I am doing this for her.

I am also doing this for Sobell House Hospice, in thanks to them for what they did for my Mum, my family, and  patients and families present and future.

Reasons for you to donate

If you know me and think I'm an okay kind of human being, please donate. You will spur me on to succeed when doubt looms.

If you've ever been touched by cancer, please donate. Among other illnesses, this hospice cares for those struck by this evil disease.

If you are a runner, please donate. You’ll know how tough it is to do your first running event. You’ll know how hard training can be. You’ll know that 7k may not seem much to some but to others, like me, it’s huge.

If you are a mother, or value your mother, please donate. It’s the love for mine that inspires me.

If you’re from, or are living in, Oxfordshire, please donate. Sobell covers Oxfordshire and is always low on beds because of the demand. Let’s give them some more money to never leave those who need it waiting.

Overall, please donate. 

Help give back hope that my mum’s memory lives on.
Thank you!

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