Hi all :)

*ABOUT THE EVENT*

*Strictly Come St Joseph's is a dance competition between 8 contestants, who will perform a group dance and an individual dance with our dance partners in front of an audience and a judging panel.

*Guests who choose to come along will be treated to a 4 course meal (£55pp - a percentage of this is donated to St Joseph's Hospice) and futher entertainment, such as a singer, DJ and raffles will be included in the event.

WHERE: Crown Plaza Hotel, Liverpool City Centre.

WHEN: Saturday 23rd September (evening - time TBC).

PERFORMANCE: I will be performing the 'JIVE' to Olly Murs 'Dance with me tonight' with my wonderful dance partner Eleanor :).

*ABOUT ST JOSEPH's HOSPICE*

The Hospice is based in Thornton, Liverpool and provides specialised End Of Life Care for up to 31 Patients (200 per year).

It costs £3million per year to run, and despite a % of this being provided by the NHS, it relies heavily on Charity Funding to ensure it is able to continue providing the care it does day by day, patient by patient. And as myself and the family have witnessed the tremendous care they provide, I would like to do my bit so other patients and people like my Dad are provided with the same care when they need it most (as some of you reading this might also want to do).

For further details, please see stjhospice.org.uk

*POP's STORY*

Pop was diagnosed with Mesothelioma Cancer in May 2018. My Dad's prognosis was 18 months due to the aggressiveness of the Cancer. However, despite a few admissions to Aintree and the Royal Hospital, Pop baffled the professionals by making miraculous recoveries from periods of ill health and deterioration and overall, he maintained a good quality of life for the majority of his diagnosis and as a result, he was well enough to refuse all therapies offered to him with a 'don't fix what's not broken' attitude. He became a Grandad 3 times (4 if you count his favourite, Sandy - Daisy's dog), attended his Daughter Daisy's wedding in Santorini as well as a few 'lads holidays', and still managed to visit his favourite places, such as the Pier Head, New Brighton and Sefton Park.

Sadly, the Cancer did take its toll and he was once again admitted to the Royal Hospital in October 2022 and was discharged with Palliative Care in place at home and required 24/7 oxygen treatment as the Cancer began to spread.

This is when Pop's health really began to deteriorate and as a result, we attended Woodland's Hospice in February for a review of his condition with the amazing Dr Marley, who informed us that Pop was 'more poorly than we realised' and advised us to make contact with St Joseph's Hospice for admission to oversee his care. Dr Marley also told Pop "if it was based on will power alone, you would out live us all" - a beautiful moment for us all and this truly encapsulated Pop's attitude towards his condition, as he never complained and remained positive and optimistic about his future, which we believe played a huge part in his ability to keep on 'bouncing back' from periods of deterioration (as well as munching on turmeric whenever, wherever to 'beat the cancer').

A week later, he deteriorated further and was once again admitted to the Royal Liverpool Hospital for 4/5 weeks. Once again, he was provided with outstanding care under the Palliative/End Of Life Care team and other staff and our wishes for admission to St Joseph's Hospice (AKA Jospice) for the specialist End Of Life Care my Dad needed were met.

Pop was admitted to St Joseph's Hospice in March for a short while before passing away.

That being said, I guess "THANK YOU" simply wouldn't be enough, and as 'actions speak louder than words', I am taking part in this event to express all our gratitude and appreciation to all the staff within the NHS who cared for Pop in one way or another during his diagnosis, but especially the staff at St Joseph's Hospice, who provided Pop with the outstanding care and compassion he needed during his final days and moments, allowing him to pass peacefully and comfortably.

Joseph Andrew Quinn (AKA 'Pop, 'The Big Guy', 'Granddad Joe'. 01/12/1951 - 21/03/2023. Aged 71.

Thank you for reading and as I need to raise £600 to take part in this event, every last penny of donation is appreciated :).