"I don't understand"

3 years ago my Uncle Sam sadly passed away from a brain tumour; 3 weeks ago my Auntie Diane passed away after a battle with a rare form of Sarcoma. How this can happen to one family is beyond me.

I will start with a brief summary of my Auntie's greatest achievements. Auntie Diane was, and will continue to be, one of the most influential people in my life. She achieved more in her short life than most would achieve in three. Auntie Di started off at Strathclyde University studying Hotel and Catering Management. She excelled in her field and became the manager of many top hotels around the country, including the Marriott in Glasgow and London. She had a strong passion for women succeding in business and particularly the hotel industry which was a particularly male dominated at the time - she certainly achieved this. Auntie Diane was the first female to be elected as president of the Institute of Hospitality (a worldwide organisation of over 22,000 members), from this appointed the role of Master Innholders and was honoured with the freedom to the City of London, which her parents, like so many, were extremely proud of her achievement.

Throughout her years of management she made many friends for life; which was made crystal clear when she sadly passed. Messages of support and shock came flooding through family mailboxes. She was truly loved.

Auntie Diane moved to Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington DC with her husband Sam Brooks in 2000 and had a beautiful daughter Alicia 2 years later, in her words, "her greatest achievement".

I don't think I'll ever meet anyone quite like Auntie Diane. She was so intelligent, her memory was encyclopaedic; she had stories upon stories stored in her great mind, some even from before she was born, and could recall dates of events better than Wikipedia. She was also multilingual, with the ability to speak German, Spanish and French fluently later impressively teaching herself Italian. 

Now, onto the start of the toughest journey anyone could face. In 2014, four months after the passing of her husband, Auntie Di found a lump in her sinuses and had a 16 hour operation to remove it by specialist military doctors in the June of that year. This operation proved successful for little over a year, until she went for a checkup in September 2015 to find she had 'spotting in the lungs'. In May of 2016, the doctors diagnosed this as a very rare form of Sarcoma. Auntie Diane made the tough decision of moving back to Scotland, in August, to be closer to her beloved family and for Alicia to settle in her new home. Her strenuous chemotherapy course started in November and lasted till March when it proved unsuccessful. In late March, another scan showed that the cancer had spread to her brain which came as a huge shock as she was feeling so well. She started a new course of daily oral chemotherapy which she took up until the day before she passed. 

On Thursday the 4th of May, Auntie Diane was admitted to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre for respite. Unknown to all that she would not be coming home. Monday the 8th, Auntie Di had her last scan which showed that the cancer had spread, the chemotherapy had once again failed and that no more could be done. Her reaction: "Oh well". She fought to the end. On Wednesday the 10th of May, Diane Miller Brooks, passed away peacefully with her family by her side. Auntie Diane was only 58. 

I think you would agree, Auntie Diane went through hell and back. If you ever had the pleasure of meeting her, even in the street, you would never have guessed that she was going through this horrendous battle. Auntie Di was the bravest and strongest person I have ever met, she shielded all around her from how much pain she was in as she didn't want others to worry. 

She fought this terrible disease with amazing courage and dignity, never complained but had wished that there had been more research into sarcoma which would have given her a chance of survival.

This is where I come in. I, like the rest of her friends and family, have found the last 3 weeks the hardest in my life. My most used phrase over this time has been "I don't understand", and I don't think I ever will. 

So in memory of my late Auntie Diane, I have planned a sponsored coast to coast cycle from her favourite place Arran, an island off the West coast of Scotland, to my favourite place, Elie, a seaside town on the East coast. I will be joined by a few close friends for the 120 mile journey.  Not only will I be doing it in her memory, I would also like to raise funds for Sarcoma UK, just as she had wished when she was still alive.

Sarcoma is a cancer of the bone and soft tissue. It is one of the hardest to diagnose, and difficult to treat. Sarcoma UK is the only cancer charity in the UK focussed on all types of Sarcoma. By donating to my page,  you will make a real difference to the lives of so many. You’ll be helping researchers find better treatments, educating health professionals and the public on the signs and symptoms of sarcoma, and ensuring anyone can access personal support and expert information whenever they need it.

Thank you so much for your support, I appreciate every penny.

Scott Miller