My son, Olly, very suddenly and totally unexpectedly died of swine flu on 10th March 2016; a night I will never forget but becomes less traumatic as time moves on.  He is missed by many and I can't thank people enough for the love, support and kindness they have shown me over the last 6 months, especially my daughter Alice who also misses her brother very much.  Grieving is a long, painful journey, but I now feel ready to start giving back and, more importantly, celebrating what an amazing son I had and showing how grateful I am for the very special times we shared together. I was very lucky.

On the 4th November 2016 Olly would have been celebrating his 23rd birthday, together with his family and friends. Instead some of us will be in New York at the 9/11 Memorial Gardens remembering what a special young man he was. Then on the 6th November I will run the New York Marathon.  

Why New York I hear you ask ???

Olly loved the USA and spent time working and travelling there, in particular New York and California. We often joked about running the New York Marathon together with Alice. 

Those who know me well will know I love running,  but will also know Olly did not have the same passion or remote interest in it!  But you will also know Olly talked a good talk. When he was 18 , Alice was 21 and me a mere 50 he talked about the three of us running a marathon together, and then did so again when he was 21. Yes, it was all talk with Olly and sadly we never did run. So it is in his memory that I have put my running shoes on once again and am training hard to do him proud in New York .

Alice will be there,  along with their Uncle Pete and Olly's best friend Kieran and mum Sara (known to Olly as 'mumacus', his second mum). Also Kate, who he planned to marry - despite her already being married with a little boy...

It will be a very special moment for us all when I finish the 26 miles and raise a toast to my Olly. We miss his infectious smile, his sense of humour and sheer physical presence. He was great company and a brilliant son, brother, nephew  and friend to us all.

As a very special tribute to him I would like to fundraise for Canine Partners, the charity I work for. My goal is £5,000, which will enable me to fund the training of a puppy who will be named 'Olly ' through its first 2 years of training, which is undertaken by loyal and supportive volunteers and staff.  Puppy 'Olly' will be trained to become an amazing dog, supporting a person with physical disabilities. 

What better way to celebrate and remember our Olly. Through this, my son will continue to be special and continue to care about others as much as he did when he was alive.

Thank you for reading my fundraising page and do visit caninepartners.org.uk to find out more about the amazing work we do in supporting disabled people.  

With much love

Anne xxx

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