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A couple of weeks before Christmas 2020, our family received a phone call from our Granny, to tell us that our Grandad had been taken in to hospital with a poorly tummy. Despite his age, our Grandad had always seemed 'fighting fit' and remained an active member of his gym, regularly went out for long walks around the Midlands, and he was still driving them both almost 200 miles to enjoy weekends away together. The news that had suddenly been admitted to hospital was both concerning and confusing. 

Even though the restrictions due to Covid made supporting our Granny and Grandad tricky, our family did everything we could to keep their spirits up, and to support my Grandad on his road to recovery- hopefully in time to enjoy the one day 'break' from coronavirus regulations to enjoy seeing each other on Christmas day.

Then, on Christmas eve, our family received the devastating news from the hospital that we should prepare for the worst- that it was unlikely that our charming, caring, and amazing Grandad would live to see in the new year, and that he was being sent home to spend his remaining days in the care and company of his wife of 61 years- our wonderful Granny. It wasn't an upset tummy, the ailment that had caused him to seek care from the doctors and nurses in the hospital, that was the culprit for this, but cancer. 

After a year like 2020, of self-isolating and shielding to protect the elderly and vulnerable, which in turn meant sacrificing quality time spent with our grandparents and loved ones, being told to prepare for our Grandad's death was awful, and I personally felt bitter. I felt as though I had been robbed of the last year of my Grandad's life. 

Our Grandad, still the strong and unrelenting 'war baby' he had always been, held on until the 19th January 2021 to enjoy the goodbyes and love of his family and friends. It was comforting to hear my Grandad's statements that he had 'lived a full life' and felt so blessed to have such a 'loving family', but adjusting to a future without our Grandad's presence has been tough. I can't wait for the day we can all get together as a family again to celebrate his life, but I dread the empty feeling of a family celebration without his silly singing and the cheeky sparkle of his eye.

Now I know this story isn't special; our experience isn't one exclusive to us. All types of Cancer, both detected and in the process of treatment, and those that are silent and shrouded by the trials of day-to-day life, take the life of around 450 people each day in the UK. Our wide eyes, and the sudden realisation that our Grandad's life is not infinite, and we will have to adjust to a world without his fabulous smile, is not an event that occurred for our family alone on that Christmas eve. 

But while our reasons for fundraising, and taking on the Three Peaks Challenge, begin with our Grandad's cancer, that is not our focus. 

Our focus is the invaluable and irreplaceable treatment and support that the nurses and organisers of Treetops Hospice provided for my Grandad, and our family, allowing him to live his final days in peace, comfort, and surrounded by love. Treetops provide essential services for anyone affected by life-limiting illnesses, and for us, were an indispensable part of the end of his life, and our Granny's loss of a beloved husband. I hate to think what the experience would have been like had it not been for them.

Their skill and compassion is something that we will forever be grateful for, and it would be wrong not to do what we can to continue to support those who supported my Grandad when he needed it the most. We really were, and still are, so lucky!

Treetops Hospice Care is a registered charity, which costs £4.3 million each year to run. The hospice had to raise 70% of this amount in order to provide this vital care and support to the patients and their families of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. 

Our family have already been donating to the hospice to say thank you for all they have done for us and our Grandad over the past couple of weeks, but since the hospice is something that we ALL may end up relying upon, we thought it might be something you might want to support too! We want everybody, be it a patient or family member, to benefit from the same care that we did.

We understand what this past year has been tough for you all, and things just seem to be getting tougher financially. If you are able to donate to sponsor us in our (perhaps overly ambitious) decision to tackle the three peaks, to raise money for Treetops, then we would be absolutely over the moon- whatever the amount! If donating money isn't something you are able to commit to, then a share or a comment of support would also mean the world- the 10,052ft ascent doesn't seem so daunting from the comforts of our cosy living room, but I'm sure that will change pretty soon.

Thank you to the wonderful nurses, and the amazing team at Treetops for all you do for our community. 

We love you Grandad Ken, and your strength and positivity until the very end will keep us going when want to give up- you showed us how!

For more info about Treetops: https://www.treetopshospice.org.uk/

For more info about what on earth we are going to be doing on the Three Peaks:  https://www.globaladventurechallenges.com/journal/what-three-peaks-challenge