Our mam was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015 and she had robotic surgery to remove the cancer which was successful and she was cancer free for a few years.  In 2019, after having symptoms again, her scan showed that the cancer had returned but we were told that they could operate for a second time.  She had the second operation and we believed that they had removed all of the cancer again, howeve,r due to covid her follow up scans were delayed.  A year later, when she had her follow up scan we were told that the cancer had spread and there was nothing further that could be done other that trying to keep the cancer at bay.

In 2021, she went through 3 months of chemotherapy which made the cancer dormant and it was a further year before her symptoms re-occurred.  At the beginning of 2022 she had a further 3 months of chemotherapy.  Her CT scan again showed that the chemo had worked making the cancer dormant, however this time she didn't pick up the same as the previous year.  She was give steroids and had a couple of months of feeling normal but at the start of November 2022 she started to deteriorate rapidly.  After 3 visits to A&E and 2 stays in hospital, we were told at the end of November that her cancer had spread to the brain and she also had a rare blood clot on the brain.

The symptoms we were seeing were that of a slow stroke which meant my mam was slowly losing the ability to speak, to blink, to move independently and she encountered short term memory loss.  

The hardest thing as a daughter to see is the fact she was unable to do things for herself and the lack of personal care she received in hospital was awful to see.

At the beginning of December, my mams wonderful McMillan nurse was able to secure her a place at our local Hospice - St Benedicts in Sunderland.  The care she received was second to none and it gave her a bit of dignity back.

We were able to visit as often as we liked, we were able to stay to spend the last weeks with her and every doctor we spoke to actually explained everything to my mam directly.  They helped us with a last minute Will so we were able to deal with our mams affairs, they ensured her last wish of having a couple of Bacardi's was fulfilled and just made sure that she was always clean and well presented.

I have always been the daughter in the family who has enjoyed running so one of the things she 'wrote' to me was that she wanted me to do the Great North Run for the hospice to help raise money for them.  I applied for the ballot in Jan 2023 and found out that I had a place in February so after being very unfit, I have been training for the last 6 months to try and run this to the best of my ability.

I have also roped in my 2 boys, Jack and William who will be doing the Junior Great North Run and the Mini Great North Run on the Saturday.....I can't say much about their training but I am trying to get them out with 2 weeks to go.

I did the run back in 2008 as it was on my bucket list but this time it will feel much more important and emotional for me.

I would be grateful, no matter how small, for any donations that could help this wonderful place provide further care to patients and families in the future.

St Benedicts Hospice in Sunderland offers free care, advice and support for patients and their families, who have life-limiting illness. St Benedicts Hospice has a long history and our experience and professional, clinical and volunteer teams are committed to providing the highest level of care in the future.