City hospice has cared for me for nearly nine years; I have a complex multi system disease, and live with extremely difficult and complex symptoms, including severe chronic pain, seizures, spasms, visual impairment, respiratory issues, and the list goes on! My health and life are very unpredictable; I wasn’t expected to survive to adulthood, and have been receiving palliative care and hospice support since I was 10 years old… despite the odds being very much against me, I’m still here at 28!! I even recently got married! We have no idea how long I will live; any day could be my last due to a seizure, a spasm, an infection, or a complication of my condition. Every day I wake up is a wonder, and I make the most of all this incredible extra unexpected borrowed time.

I wouldn’t be alive today, or living half the life I am, without the ongoing physical, emotional, practical, and specialist clinical support from the incredible staff at City Hospice.

So me and a collection of amazing friends and family (including my mum who has her own complex health issues and only 39% lung function, and my auntie who has learning disabilities and struggles with mental health) will be climbing Pen Y Fan on the 4th of August. I will be crossing something off my bucket list that I’ve always dreamed of doing… and I’d like to raise some money for the amazing service that help me to continue living my best life despite all my challenges.

I understand times are tough and money is tight (trust me, I really do!) but even a pound or fifty pence will make a big difference to lives and families like mine.