Lizzie’s Story
Lizzie Hollick, 29, from London, is preparing to run the 2010 London Marathon. Here she talks about the care her Mum received at Severn Hospice
In 2007 my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the spring of last year, we found out that the cancer had spread to her vital organs and the doctors were now talking in weeks rather than months. In July, mum was admitted to the Severn Hospice in Shrewsbury in order for her to receive full time care from the wonderful carers at the Hospice.
The staff at the Hospice made the whole process somewhat more bearable for both my mother and for my family. Going to see mum at the Hospice was something I no longer dreaded as I was always made to feel so welcome. My mother could not praise the staff enough.
Numerous doctors informed my mother that it was unlikely that she would survive to see my elder sister walk down the aisle. The staff at the Hospice gave Mum the confidence to prove all the doctors wrong and on that special day last July, accompanied by mum’s ‘guardian angel,’ Joan from the Hospice, she watched as my sister Lucie took her vows. The staff could not have been more helpful, organising transport to the wedding venue in Chester and helping mum ‘doll up’ for the big day.
We lost mum a few days later, on the day Lucie returned from her honeymoon, with us all at her bedside. I will never be able to thank all the staff at Severn Hospice enough for everything they did for my mother, but I hope that by running the London Marathon on behalf of Severn Hospice, I can go some way towards helping by providing much needed funds.
If at any point during the Marathon I feel like I can’t carry on, I will think of my mother and how brave she was during her battle with cancer. If she was able to fight until the bitter end, then I have no excuse but to complete the Marathon on her behalf.
If you would like to sponsor Lizzie, please visit www.justgiving.com/lizziehollick
