I wrote this late one evening following my mother's funeral in June...

My mum died a few days ago, we had her funeral yesterday. It was lovely, but today I just miss her. I wanted to talk to her about ten times today and forgot twice that she isn't here anymore.  I'm 45, not 5, nor 15, and I knew she was ill, I could understand what was going on, and I could try to make some sense of it all.

When Mum (Jenny) was ill, there was a woman in the bed opposite, she was in her 30's with teenaged kids. She was great at black comedy and could laugh at her situation, and she did...she laughed a lot. Discussing her illness seriously with her kids was another matter though. Discussing the treatment, the consequences, and the sad fact that she was likely to die was extremely hard for her. Winston's Wish is a charity which supports families in this type of situation. It helps parents to find the words to talk about a life threatening illness and to prepare memory boxes. It can support kids after a parent has died, be that passing due to illness, violence or suicide. The charity runs very popular weekend camps for kids who are often isolated and lonely as a result of their experience. Childhood grief can lead to a lifetime of problems.

In 2008 I ran the Athens Marathon. Being part Greek, it just had to be done, albeit slowly...very slowly. Mum was there with me, as were my closest friends, and we had a fantastic sunny weekend. Mum was so supportive, so proud and so happy to be a part of it. When she was ill, she asked me to run it again this year - it's 2,500 years since the original Marathon was run, and a big celebration is planned. Mum had hoped to be there to see it and I am so sad that she won't be. I will make sure that I finish the race in her memory and will run it for Winstons's Wish...after all, if it's this hard losing your mum when you're supposed to be a grown up, how much harder would it be if I were a child?

Please help support me in Jenny's memory by donating to this small but unique charity.  

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 on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.

Many, many thanks...efharisto.

Lorraine