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My dad was on a skiing holiday with his friends in February 2015 when he had a seizure on the skiing slopes and was rushed to a hospital in Geneva.  They did lots of scans and tests and my mum flew out to be with him in hospital, while I stayed with friends, which was fun but I was very worried.  My dad was allowed home after a few days but had to get a special plane home with a doctor on board just in case he had another seizure.  After a couple of weeks back home and lots more hospital appointments he was diagnosed with a very aggressive brain tumour. He had radiotherapy and chemotherapy everyday to reduce the size of the tumour.  

He still had a number of severe seizure episodes and urgent trips to A&E in ambulances which meant he had to spend days in hospital, and one of these was on my birthday which was very hard.   

We had already booked a holiday in Sicily with friends which we managed to enjoy most of until my dad had another episode and was taken to hospital.  Mum stayed with him and they were flown home in another special plane while I stayed with our friends to finish our holiday but it wasn’t the same once he wasn’t there and I worried a lot about him. 

My dad then stayed in hospital for the next five months and only came home for the last time a couple of weeks in November before he had to go back in again.  He got worse and worse and in January was transferred to Hospice in the Weald who looked after him for the last week of his life.  They really looked after him in such a kind and caring way, and I know made his last few days a lot easier.  They were really kind to me and my mum and it made it a little easier knowing he was there. 

I have always enjoyed swimming, and loved playing about in the pool with my dad on our holidays and we always went swimming even though it was sometimes really cold.  One year we both jumped in the pool before we had even got our bags out of the car!

So I am swimming 2k on Sunday 22 October 2017 in memory of my dad and our fun times in the pool, and hope to raise some money for Hospice in the Weald to say thank you for looking after him and hope they can do the same for other people.

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