Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I have decided to take part in the Make a Splash, sponsored swim to help raise funds for the Princess Alice Hospice, Esher. The challenge is to swim the equivalent distance of the English Channel, 22 miles = 1416 lengths in my local 25m pool........(No sharks or jellyfish to worry about!!) over a period of 8 weeks.......

With your help, I want to show my appreciation to the dedicated Doctors, nurses and staff, not forgetting the many volunteers that cared for and supported my mum, my family and I, This is my story....... 

 

After losing my dear dad to cancer in 2001, I didn't think lightening could strike twice...... 

My mum was diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer in September 2009.

Our world stood still, "They've made a mistake, they can't mean cancer"

Talk of operations, chemotherapy & radiotherapy were the norm and once again I felt I needed to be brave for my mum.

We had a phone call from a nurse called Alison who worked from the Princess Alice Hospice, she introduced herself and explained how she was there to support us if we wanted. We met that same week.

Alison was lovely, mum really liked her, trusted her, listened to her, I really don't know what mum & I would have done without her. This was our first experience of the hospice.

Alison kept in contact with us with frequent visits and phone calls. If I phoned the hospice and left a message because I was concerned or worried, I knew it wouldn't be long until Alison or one of her team would call me back. 

My mum was wonderful, the best, and in the end we needed the Princess Alice hospice to help us...................

I can't believe how I felt when we arrived, a mix of emotion but I could tell within minutes that these nurses were special.

My mums stay was short in comparison to many, but they made my mum’s last few days comfortable with dignity. When the nurses spent time with my mum, they were not rushed or measured, they cared and reassured.........and when I was in bits, they would talk with me and listen, they put me back together again, night and day, for which I will be forever grateful.

I want to give something back so that many more people and their loved ones can receive the care and support my lovely mum, my family and I were able to share during her time there and after she passed away........

Thank You for reading my reasons for supporting The Princess Alice Hospice, Esher. This Hospice is a charity that provides palliative care and is funded completely by donations, please sponsor me and together we can help others.

Janine x

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure    Gift Aid is reclaimed (28p on every £ donated, so please tick the box) on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

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I can't thank those of you enough who have made donations in rememberance of my dear mum, Doreen.

Mum's funeral was yesterday Friday 26th February, and the sun did make an appearance. The service was full of family and friends and I was able to read out a self written family tribute for my mum.......                                                 The 'celebration' for mum following the service was held at The Wimbledon Club, Wimbledon, SW19. My mum was an avid Wimbledon Fan, attending Wimbledon since 1974 with her sister year in, year out.                                               Both Kane and Alex read out their own tributes to their Nanny, written by themselves.............very moving.

The sponsored swim is going well, I have now swam a total of 950 lengths! Leaving 466 lenths to go!

Haven't done much this week, but I hope to get back in the water Monday..........I will keep you updated.

                                                     THANK YOU...XXX

Apologies for not updating my page sooner........ I actually completed my sponsored swim on 6th March 2010, I swam 1458 lengths in total, 42 lengths further than I needed too!!

Many Thanks to all of you who have sponsored me and for the many beautiful messages you've taken time to write about mum, I've been truely touched on many occasions.........

I will miss not seeing you all at the Civil Service Championships next week, I will miss the banter and all the laughter we share. I hope you all swim well, win lots of trophies and gain a few PB's and records along the way.

Many Thanks again for all for your continued support over these difficult months, it means so much to me.

Love Janine xx