We’re running the London Marathon for St Barnabas Hospice – in honour of my brothers, Dan & Carl

In 2025, both of my brothers died just months apart from the same rare and aggressive blood cancer: T-cell Prolymphocytic Leukaemia (T-PLL).

Dan on 13 March and Carl on 14 June - both at home

Their journeys were completely different, yet they both faced the same tragic ending.

Dan had no stem cell matches and with no long-term treatment options, decided to stop. He wanted to live well, and we set out to achieve his bucket list, and we did it all and then some. From West End musicals to putting Jimmy Carr on the spot for a death joke, seeing AC/DC live and getting to Amsterdam for a final holiday. Dan's celebration of life party was exceptional; people from every walk of life came to party with Dan as he sang "Happy Death Day to me". That was Dan in a nutshell, and he did everything on his own terms - with death being no exception.

Carl had a different experience completely. With multiple stem cell matches, he went through the same treatment as Dan and got into remission. Then, following an awful battle with shingles, leaving him blind in one eye and at times unable to walk, he was finally ready for his stem cell transplant. What should have been the beginning of his new chapter ended up being the beginning of the end, as Carl developed severe graft-versus-host disease.

When it became clear that the treatment for GVHD was not working, it was obvious to Carl, Mum, and me what was next. We fought to get him home before it was too late, to restore some home comforts and peace for Carl.

St Barnabas Hospice were with us every step of the way through their Hospice at Home service and ongoing family support. They enabled Dan to stay at home as his health deteriorated, whilst he took comfort from the little things, like a massage therapist visiting him. Dan also stayed at the hospice for a bit of restbite whilst his bathroom was converted into a wet room. The team were fantastic, we even took the dogs in and wheeled his bed out for a smoke!

Carl was only able to spend his final days at home because of St Barnabas stepping in. Once home Carl said it was the most relaxed he'd felt in a very long time... he was surrounded by love, he laughed with friends and the beeping machines were replaced with Iron Maiden.

St Barnabas Hospice brought dignity, expertise, and compassion into our lives at a time we needed it more than ever, and our family will be forever grateful for supporting us and helping us to approach these difficult situations in our own way.

Immediately after Carl found out the treatment for GVHD was not working (days before he died), he said, "But I've got so much shit to do". I asked him what that was, and he explained how he wanted to raise funds for charity in Dan's name. With tears in my eyes, I promised him I would take the fundraising baton from him and do what he had planned to do when he was well.

On 26 April 2026, I’ll be keeping that promise by running the London Marathon in honour of both my brothers. My amazing partner Chris, who has been my rock throughout all of this, will be running beside me (though I’m certain he’ll finish first!).

About St Barnabas Hospice

St Barnabas House is the hospice for the Worthing, Adur, Arun and Henfield areas. They care for adults with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones, helping them live as fully as possible for the time they have left together. Their work extends far beyond the hospice walls into people’s homes and communities, and includes symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, physiotherapy, complementary therapies, and bereavement care.

Your donation will make a real difference:

£100 could fund a home visit from a Community Nurse Specialist, giving a new patient emotional support and help to plan for the future.

£50 could provide an art therapy session for a group of bereaved people, helping them navigate grief and build new friendships.

£20 could give someone who is seriously ill an hour of care and comfort in their own home, day or night.

Please, if you can, donate to help Chris and me show Dan and Carl that their impact lives on – and help St Barnabas be there for the next family who needs them.

Thank you for reading, for donating, and for keeping my brothers’ memory alive.

Marie 🖤