Laura Lane was my sister-in-law. She could be impulsive and sometimes frustrating, but she was always full of ideas and plans and fizzing over with energy and life. On 13th July this year she died after losing her battle with cancer.

 

I refer to Laura’s struggle against cancer as a battle quite intentionally, because she was determined to fight it. She underwent many treatments with little complaint and used all that energy of hers to keep going, to keep doing things with her life and to stay mentally strong throughout. So much so, that we often didn’t realise how ill she actually was. As far as she was concerned cancer was not going to stop her living her life. It was not going to stop her indulging her penchant for foreign holidays. It was not going to stop her enjoying visits to the Olympics and Paralympics. It was not even going to stop her resuming her studies to become a qualified social worker - it was just a temporary delay until she was well enough to go to university again. Even when she was very ill at Easter this year it was not going to stop her from going skiing in Chamonix, her first time on skis for over 20 years!

 

But, although she never gave up, the cancer eventually began to overcome her, and that is where Forest Holme Hospice comes in. Forest Holme is a place where people living in Poole, suffering illnesses such as cancer, can go for palliative and end of life care. They provide the medical and human caring needs to make people who are seriously ill feel more comfortable, and they provide a pleasant environment in which their patients and their relatives can stay. They not only ease the pain of the sufferers but provide support for their family and friends.

 

The care Forest Holme gave Laura was first rate. They made sure she had what she needed to feel comfortable and, while they could never hope to make the cancer go away, they were able to minimise her suffering during her last few weeks with them. Their facilities were good and their staff were excellent. Nothing was too much trouble. What is especially noteworthy is that the staff treat the family and friends as being just as much a part of the place as the patients, which is the kind of support family and friends need when facing a crisis like this.

 

So, having been inspired by Laura’s zest for life, I have decided to do something to support Forest Holme in recognition of the care they gave Laura and the support they offered us. Laura had an ambition to raise some money for charity only months before she died, so honouring this ambition I have chosen to run in an organised charity 10k run in Hyde Park on 5th October and I ask you all to dig deep and sponsor me to support a charity that not only did so much for Laura, but would also have been close to her heart.

 

Although Forest Holme receives funding from the NHS they rely on charitable donations to raise the level of care they are able to give to the exceptional level we experienced. Whether it is helping to pay for specialist equipment, additional staffing, counselling and bereavement support for patients and their families, or even just the communal tea making facilities and the biscuit tub, your donation will mean a big difference to someone suffering a terminal illness or their family by their side. And, as I have paid the race entry fee myself, all of your money will be going to Forest Holme.

 

Thank you for reading my story - well, it’s Laura’s story really. I hope it has helped some of the inspiration I have taken from her life to rub off on you. Now, click on the button on the top right and start donating!  Thanks.