The Rosemary Foundation is a charity that will always have a special place in my heart. They are based in Hampshire and provide palliative care for people with life threatening illnesses in their own homes. They also offer support for their carers and loved ones, at no cost to the patient or their family.

In January 2010, I came home from college to find my world suddenly turned upside down. I received the devastating news that my wonderful Dad had been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a rare and terminal cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. The doctors gave him about a year.
Understandably, my sister and I were shattered by the thought of losing our Dad, and my Mum her Husband. Through sheer determination, and with a fantastic sense of humour, Dad managed to beat the odds and live a fairly full and happy life for almost a year and half. He could still go and watch his beloved football team, Chelsea, enjoy dinners out with friends and go on holidays with mum. In the summer of 2011 however, it was clear to those around him, that he wasn’t his usual upbeat self and that his health had undoubtedly worsened. Over the next couple of months his condition deteriorated rapidly and we were given the devastating news that the cancer had now spread to his spine, and then a couple of weeks later, to his brain. He was no longer well enough to endure anymore treatment.
Thanks to the first-class levels of care and support of the Rosemary Foundation, we were able to fulfil my Dad’s wishes to remain at home in his final weeks. For my mum this meant she would be giving round the clock care for Dad, which she took on without any hesitation. It was the outstanding support from The Rosemary Foundation that enabled her to do this. We had nurses at our home 3 or 4 times a day to look after Dad, but also just to give Mum some well-deserved rest and someone to chat to. It was their presence and amazing support that allowed him to spend the little time he had left with his family by his side, in the comfort of his own home where he’d lived for 25 years.
Sadly, on October 23 2011 Dad lost his battle and he died peacefully at home with me, my sister and my Mum by his side.

I cannot re-iterate enough, that without the help of The Rosemary Foundation I truly believe we would not have been able to care for Dad at home and we would have been forced to move him into a Hospice. Something that none of us wanted, and for this reason we will forever be grateful. They are funded solely on donations, so it’s really important that we, as a community, give them the support they need to keep going and give others the same opportunity we had. I am doing a sponsored sky dive in September in Memory of Dad, where all proceeds will go to The Rosemary Foundation. I am a nervous flyer and pretty scared of heights so this is by no means something I took on lightly! As long as I know, that as I’m throwing myself out of that a plane, that I will be helping another family look after their loved one at home, then I will be plummet towards the ground a happy girl.