On Boxing day 2012, my safe, secure, controlled little world changed - we discovered that my mum had cancer. Unfortunately you hear of (too many) other people that get that terrible news, but nothing prepares you for when it strikes your own family.

Initially the outlook was good, they had caught it early and hoped mum would make a full recovery. Sadly, it was not to be. On October 29th 2013 we lost her, just a month after her 68th birthday. Even now, just over a year later, it takes me a little time to digest what I've just typed. Like most of you I'm sure, I was lucky enough to be very close to my mum, the price for which of course is the pain of losing her.

This is where the Hospice of St Francis come in - Quite how we would have coped without them is a mystery. Not only did mum receive exceptional care during her last weeks, but we did too. Thankfully, they ensured that my mum was not in pain, and had, as much as it hurts me to say it, made her peace with the situation. It was for the rest of us to come to terms with it and get it straight in our heads. The hospice kept a close eye on  all of us, calling us individually for many weeks afterwards. They know that when you say you're doing fine (and you believe you are), all of a sudden you have been talking to them for an hour...

Dignity. That's what they gave mum, and in an ideal world it's what we would all like, for all of us.

I confess that I did not even know of the Hospice of St Francis until we needed them, and I'm sure many of you are the same. However, I realised very quickly after being there that I would simply have to do something, as a thank you for everything they did for my family and to help them with others.

They don't just care for the terminally ill, but offer respite care and help with living with severe illness too.

This is an enormous challenge for me but it's one that I have always wanted to tackle, and I will never have a better reason than this one.

So that's why I am asking for your help. 

All I can say is that we do need amazing places like this, you just may not know it yet, so please please donate whatever you can.

You can find out more about the hospice at: 

http://www.stfrancis.org.uk/

Thank you so much for reading this and for your donations, they really do mean a great deal.

Ben

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