From Alyson' sister, Helen:

As many of you know, my sister Alyson sadly passed away on 23rd January at the age of 47 in the Prince of Wales Hospice, just ten weeks after being diagnosed with blast phase leukaemia. Never in a million years did we think something like this would happen to our beautiful, kind, and amazing Aly.

Before this, I think many of us (myself included) might have thought a hospice was just for elderly people. The reality is very different. I truly believe that end-of-life care is just as important as the day we are born, and the care Alyson received proved that beyond words.

During her 7 days at the hospice, Alyson was treated with the utmost compassion, dignity, and exceptional care. More importantly, she was given precious quality time to spend with her children, friends, and family — something that meant everything to her and to all of us.

The hospice didn’t just care for Alyson, they cared for all of us. They supported her children, Ruairi (14) and Kenya (21), and checked in with our whole family every day, offering access to trained counsellors whenever we needed it. They even arranged for Alyson’s 9-month-old granddaughter’s christening to take place in her room after Kenya asked if it might be possible — something we will never, ever forget.

The Prince of Wales Hospice relies on around £3.5 million in donations each year, and it costs approximately £500 per patient, per day to provide this level of care.

That’s why this challenge means so much.

If I know the people of Northside, we’ll absolutely smash this.

At some point in life, any one of us or someone we love may need a hospice. Supporting them now means they can continue to be there for families like ours when it matters most.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this, and for any support you can give — it genuinely means the world.