(We've set up a team so that donations can go to either charity)
In 2011 our mum was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. She underwent various treatments and procedures including skin grafts, radiotherapy, and more recently immunotherapy. This year she developed brain cancer and began to lose strength, speech and memory. She had targeted treatment on a tumour inside her brain and in August underwent brain surgery to remove a tumour, from which she then lost the ability to walk. By this point the melanoma had spread too far and she became considerably ill. We nursed her in our family home, where she was fully bed bound and undergoing a course of chemotherapy. She never dreamed of turning any treatment down due to her sheer determination and never failing hope.
Caring for her over the last few months was extremely difficult but we were all so willing to do whatever we could to make her comfortable and keep her beautiful and shining spirit alive. She was so incredible and so many loved to be around her with the love and humour that she shared. She never once complained about her illness and was always worrying more about her loved ones. Our mum held up the most incredible fight with so much optimism.
Although she's been extremely ill for over a year, together we made it a precious time. She was lucky enough to be around for the birth of her first grandchild, Noah, in June.
Every experience we ever have now we'll be wishing we could spend with her and everyday nothing will ever feel quite the same. Therefore we wish for donations towards Melanoma Focus for research so that hopefully one day families won't have to experience the grief that we have as a result of a loved one having melanoma.
We also wish for donations to the Douglas Macmillan where she spent her final days and whom offered her continued support and services over the years. They operate solely on donations and truly make such a difference. In the past few months they've visited our home organising medication for pain control, offering advice and providing services such as aromatherapy.
The Dougie Mac hold a 5k walk each year and we would like as many friends and family as possible to walk with us on April 9th in our mums memory. It was a charity close to her heart and she'd be so happy to have money raised in her memory.
We are so incredibly proud of her fight and deeply devastated that our amazing mum had to suffer for so long. We can now only wish that she can be remembered by everyone and we can treasure all the memories that we share.
We'd also like to thank all of our friends and family for the most overwhelming support.
