This month, unbelievably, marks 10 months since we said goodbye to our Dad. The year seems to have flown by and gone at a snail's pace all at the same time but, one feeling that remains front and centre is how much we miss him. As a family I think we have all felt a little lost, not just at the physical loss of Dad, but at what to do. How to move forward without him, what our family looks like now and what we could do to help others in the same position as he was (and we were).

The reality is, nothing will ever stop the pain of losing a loved one but without the Rennie Grove Peace nurses, the end of Dads life and our last few weeks and days with him would have been very different. Their ability to come into a home, reassure, calm and care for someone who is coming to the end of their life AND do all those same things for the family standing helplessly watching is something only very few super humans can do. The extent of our gratitude knows no end and because of this, it is where we have focussed our desire to help.

In April next year, with our Mum and brother Harry as our chief cheerleaders, Jamie and I (sadly Harry is not able to due to his knee) will be completing the London Marathon in memory of Dad as part of the Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care team. Yes, we are insane. Yes, I totally blame Jamie for this. Yes, we’re both nervous. But more importantly, yes, we will do this for Dad and all the other people out there who are fighting for their lives. Our target is to raise £5,000. This money will go directly to Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care and will help nurses support families like ours at their most difficult time.

We sincerely hope that you will never need the help and support of these angels but if you do, to know we have contributed in some small way to help fund them, means a lot to us as a family. If you would like to and are able, we would love for you to sponsor us and support us with various fundraisers over the coming months to help us reach our target. Any donation, big or small, will make a huge difference not only to us but to the families you will be helping in the future. This is a mammoth task for us both physically and emotionally, along with the time required for training and the commitment to raise the money but we are determined to do this for Dad. He will never be forgotten and we will never stop missing him but each step we take will remind us of the incredible fight he put up before it all became too much.

Thank you for your support, Emma and Jamie xx

Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care is a charity providing care and support for adults and children with a progressive life-limiting illness, in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.  Our patients are supported to live the best quality of life they can through the combination of outpatient, rehabilitation and supportive care services, Hospice at Home and inpatient care that is right for them. We are also here for the families of our patients, ensuring that everyone can receive the right support, helping make every moment together matter.