Why we’re walking

In April 2015 our lovely mum heard the words no one wants to hear, but far too many people do: she had stage four cancer of the liver. Chemotherapy would be followed by a massive operation, with further treatment after that, and no guarantees were given.

Being the amazing, selfless and super strong parents they have always been, our mum and dad chose to keep this shattering bombshell to themselves in fear mum’s diagnosis would overshadow Lucy's wedding in June. To this day, no one knows how they found the strength that took. Especially as our lovely, emotional dad cries at EastEnders! Yet, somehow, they did.

Mum and dad finally told us everything in July and in that moment our world fell apart and our hearts broke.

And our hearts continue to break each and every day because later that month a biopsy showed the cancer wasn't in mum’s liver but in her bile duct – one of the most evil and hardest types to treat – and, as a result, there was nothing that could be done for her.

At times it was hard to believe any of this to be true as mum remained fit and healthy in both mind and body, but in late-September the cancer reared its ugly head. Mum felt nauseous and unable to eat, and pain meant she couldn’t sleep. Seeing her robbed of her energy and sparkling spirit and not knowing how to make her feel better was unbearable. And this is when St Barnabas became an all-too important part of our lives. The skills and support of their nurses and the reassurance that they are always at the end of the phone, meant mum not only got through that very scary time, she was also strong enough to hit the shops again!

When mum initially told us that she’d made contact with the local hospice we were devastated. The word hospice conjured up images we hadn't dared let form in our minds. But when she explained what St Barnabas does for its patients and the support it provides for them and their families we understood exactly why she'd done it. And in September during mum's bad turn, we witnessed first-hand the work that the amazing nurses do, and without them, those days would have been far darker.

At her lowest point that September, mum cried with relief when the nurse arrived and when the nurse saw the love, support and heartache surrounding mum at home, she said, "you must be one special lady."

And she was spot on. So we are walking 20 miles at midnight for that special lady - the strong, wonderful, funny, beautiful woman we are so proud and lucky to call mum, and Nanna to little Beth and Frank – and for all the wonderful people who work at St Barnabas so they may continue to provide invaluable help, support, massage, counselling, unconditional kindness, reassurance and strength to the broken-hearted families and their supermums.

Mum continues to amaze us every day with her strength and courage and sees every day as a blessing. The love she has received since July has overwhelmed us all and most importantly, given her strength. Which is just as well as she has to keep the rest of us strong! To us, she is truly amazing.

On 19th April our beautiful, brave, wonderful mum passed away at home with us by her side. The heartache seems to get harder with each day that passes and we miss her beyond words. We'd walk a million miles to change our situation so 20 miles will be easy knowing she will be with us and that we are doing this for her.

What we’re walking for

The current annual cost of all the care services St Barnabas provides is £5.9million. As the NHS only funds 21p in the pound of these costs, St Barnabas relies heavily on the generosity, help and support of fundraisers.

So for that reason we, along with some of our amazing friends, will be giving up two very precious things; time and sleep (!) as we embark on a 20 mile midnight walk to show our personal gratitude to the nurses and to raise much-needed funds for St Barnabas. More information can be found at www.stbarnabas-hospice.org.uk

How you can help

Please help us show the incredible staff at St Barnabas how appreciative and grateful we are by helping us raise our target of £1000. Or better still, why not join us? 

This is a ladies-only walk but boys, you're very welcome to provide moral support, plasters and bacon sarnies! 

The bigger the team the more money we can raise and the more fun we can have on the walk!
Speak to Marie or Lucy if you want to sign up.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your support.