A story of three friends

It’s hard to summarise our story, or to acknowledge the new chapter we find ourselves in as a two.

Ciara was our very best friend, from our school days through to our adult lives. We never faltered or lost touch. In fact, life’s trials and tribulations brought us closer together as a tight support network. We were always there for each other.

Tuesday 3rd of August 2021, the day of Ciara’s melanoma diagnosis, was no different, and, as always, we embarked on the new journey together. Despite our shock at how a fit and healthy 27-year-old could receive such awful news, we were always hopeful and would never have imagined only a year and a half later we’d be typing this.

Unsurprisingly, despite her first diagnosis and the subsequent news that the cancer had spread to her brain, Ciara never lost hope, courage, or determination. She picked all of us up, as she always had done.

Unknowingly, on what would be the final time we saw Ciara at Christmas in December 2022, we started making plans for the year ahead. This was going to be her year.

The three of us had always spoken about climbing Snowdon at sunrise and so this adventure seemed the perfect place to start. We decided that by Spring 2023, Ciara would have recovered from surgery and be well on the way to climbing mountains.

Unfortunately this wasn’t to be and cancer took Ciara from us on the 29th of December 2022 at just 28 years old.

Whilst we are still coming to terms with her loss, we are determined that her story doesn’t end here and that her infectious personality and steely determination lives on, starting by setting out to do all the things we planned together…the first being sunrise at Snowdon.

We would like to support Ward 622 of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where Ciara spent much of her final few months and to the staff there who looked after her so well.

Any donations are greatly appreciated, it means a lot to us.

Lauren and Roisin