Great-grandparents Jean and Doug Edge were happily married for more than 60 years and their family will never forget the special memories they have of them.

The couple, from Shrewsbury, received end-of-life care with us within the space of just a year after both being diagnosed with cancer.

For their daughter, Elaine Shaw, saying goodbye to her parents was hard – but her family is grateful they were able to spend the end of their lives at Severn Hospice.

“I loved my mum and dad – they were wonderful parents,” she said. “I remember how much help they gave me looking after my three boys so I could work or get some rest and I will treasure the lovely memories of holidays together as a family.

“I feel that when you’re young you take your parents for granted. But when you have children and they become grandparents your relationship changes with them; you become friends and the longer they are with you, the harder it is when they pass away.”

To join Elaine and our other event ambassadors at the Forget Me Not Walk on Sunday 19 May click here.

Jean was diagnosed with incurable oesophageal cancer in 2012 and radiotherapy treatment meant she was able to continue living a normal life for some time.

The following year, Doug received the news he had bile duct cancer but his illness was incurable.

At the end of January 2015, Jean arrived at our hospice in Shrewsbury, where she was cared for on Breidden Ward for nine nights. She died on 7 February, aged 81.

Doug died on 9 March just over a year later after 11 nights on our Perry Ward – the day after his 85th birthday.

“My sister and I were lucky enough to be able to stay at hospice every night and were there when my mum and dad passed away, said Elaine.

“I had never experienced a hospice before so I didn’t really know what to expect.

“But from the start to the end, the care was second-to-none – everyone was so helpful and couldn’t do anymore to make our experience as comfortable as possible.

“Our family are so grateful that mum and dad didn’t have to end their lives in a hospital. Each member of staff and volunteer was so attentive and caring.”

The care her parents received at Severn Hospice inspired Elaine to start fundraising for us. In 2016, she conquered the Shrewsbury 10K raising £850 as well as another £900 running the Vyrnwy Half Marathon a year later.

She also holds cake sales and donates clothes and furniture to our award-winning shops when she can.

Elaine’s next fundraising challenge will be our new Forget Me Not Walk event on 19 May, which she has been chosen to be an event ambassador for.

Our event is taking place at The Quarry in Shrewsbury and aims to give walkers the chance to remember loved ones lost while supporting our work.

She added: “The people at Severn Hospice aren’t just there to help the patient end their life in dignity and comfort, they were there to support us all the way through as a family.

“It is such specialised care and I want to support the hospice to make sure other families are able to receive the love and care my mum and dad did.”

The event will start at 11am and entry costs £15 for adults, £5 for a child under 15 while children under five go free. A family ticket (two adults and two children) is £35.

To join Elaine and our other event ambassadors at the Forget Me Not Walk on Sunday 19 May click here.