FAMILY JOINS HOSPICE BIRTHDAY WALK

I have recieved the letter below which I am happy to pass on.
A good cause if you can help please do.

28 August 2013

Family Joins Hospice Birthday Walk

When mum and grandma Margaret Simpson was told her pancreatic cancer was no longer treatable she was determined to die at home.

And her family were determined to do all they could to help her to achieve her wish. Thanks to the support of teams from John Taylor Hospice, Margaret spent her last few weeks at her New Oscott home provided with the necessary medical and personal care – and surrounded by those she loved.

After experiencing the Hospice’s ‘Taylormade’ care, Margaret’s daughter Charlotte Whalley has become a valued supporter of John Taylor. And this year she and her family will be joining hundreds of other families in the Hospice’s Birthday Walk on Sunday October 6.

It will be the second time 36-year-old housewife Charlotte, her husband Simon, a 41-year-old graphic designer, and daughter Courtney Smith, a 13-year-old pupil at Park Hall Academy, will take part in the walk which has become a firm fixture on the calendars of lots of local families.

“Mum was such a bubbly person. She was fantastic and so caring,” says Charlotte, of Water Orton. “She always put everyone else first – even when she was ill. She was a very positive and a very strong person.

“In January 2011 the doctors said they were stopping the chemotherapy as it wasn’t making any difference. She rapidly went downhill after that and she passed away in the February. She was 62.

“But she did really want to be looked after at home. We were put in touch with John Taylor Hospice and they were able to send staff out to do things like check her medication – and other things which we couldn’t do.

“We are a big family – there’s my dad, my mum had sisters nearby and I’ve got brothers so there was always someone able to be with her. But knowing that we could call on the Hospice and that they could help us when we needed it made all the difference.”

The family, which also includes four-year-old son Mason Whalley, asked for donations to the Hospice in lieu of flowers at their mum’s funeral and took part in last year’s Birthday Walk.

“We really enjoyed it last year and will definitely be doing it again this year,” says Charlotte. “There was a great atmosphere and when you walk past the Hospice at about half way it is just lovely.”

The Birthday Walk celebrates two years since the staff at John Taylor Hospice voted to return the Hospice to independence as a community interest company.

John Taylor Hospice CEO Kate Phipps says: “Our Birthday Walk has become an increasingly popular event attracting people from across the West Midlands and beyond.

“It is a chance for people to come together to walk for fun, walk for fitness and walk for a loved one.”

 Taking place on Sunday October 6, the 3.5 mile route begins and ends at the Ramada Hotel in Penns Lane, Sutton Coldfield. The fully marshalled event takes people through Pype Hayes Park and past the Hospice and is pushchair, wheelchair and dog friendly.

Registration costs £5 per person and can be done by filling in the form on the website www.johntaylorhospice.org.uk or contacting the Community Investment Crew on 0121 465 2000.

For more information on investing in John Taylor Hospice see www.johntaylorhospice.org.uk or contact the Community Investment Crew on 0121 465 2000.

ENDS