For those of you who don't know Robina, my wife has been battling stage 4 lung cancer for 15 months. Although I have been quite open about it, Robina has opted to stay very private . For anyone who knows me, Robina is my life and I would do anything for her, its times like this when you find it difficult to express the love we have for each other.  The time we have left has now become the thing I think about the most. Robina has endured several months of excruciating pain as she battled through chemo which we have now opted to stop. She has endured pneumonia and pleurisy which has rendered her with permanent nerve damage and in bed for the last 5 months. While trying to find some pain relief Robina spent 4 weeks at Saint Catherine's hospice where the care from the team was incredible. She was very lucky to get a bed due to the funding crisis that has devastated most charities through this awful pandemic, with only 9 out of the normal 20 beds being open. Having visited everyday and witnessing first hand the care & comfort that Saint Catherine's provide I was bowled over by the team and the support they give to people especially those on end of life. Robina has not yet reached this stage and her bravery to confront the inevitable with such dignity is incredible.  I was expecting Robina to find it hard in the hospice but the truth is she did not want to leave and we had to gently coax her away when the time came. She spent her birthday in there and they baked her a cake and made the day very special although every day is special there. We decided to raise money while she is still alive as Robina is very keen to give back to the hospice that gave her the special care she so badly needed. Our health and quality of life is something we often take for granted although many families now have a different perspective given the restrictions put on us all through the pandemic. We really don't know what the future holds but for an ex-champion bodybuilder being so weak and having to ask for help does not come easy.  So where does the £11,000 target amount come from, well it costs £11,000 to run the in patients unit (IPU) for just one day.
In addition to our fund-raising event night "it'll be alright on the night" on Saturday 13th November, we are looking to secure as many donations as possible in the lead up, however great or small, to help us achieve our goal! Thank you
 From the bottom of our hearts we thank Saint Catherine's for everything they did. We also very much appreciate your donation to such a worthwhile cause.

Robina & Mark x

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