Five years ago today we were told that Maisie had leukaemia. Five years ago today my life changed. Five years ago today I changed. 

Grief is complicated to say the least and I’m still learning. It has been a long process to get to this point and I’ve found one thing that helps me is finding things that feel worthwhile and important. Challenges keep me occupied and give me a sense of purpose as I’m raising money for charities that help so much.

There is so much emotion and pain wrapped up in this that I don’t share but I do want you to know how much it means. There were places, people and support for us that I’ve never shared - places, people and support you’d never even consider existed until the day you need them, but death and cancer shouldn’t be a taboo subject. Often words fail me but sometimes now I’m able to articulate my thoughts. I’ll try to share so you can see why I do these challenges.

My 5 for 5 starts today on the anniversary of Maisie’s diagnosis and will take me through her months of treatment, palliative care and what would have been her 8th birthday 🌈💕

Helen and Douglas house relies heavily on donations and public support, so I’m taking on these challenges to raise awareness and much-needed funds for this wonderful children’s hospice as it continues to provide support and help other families who face every parent’s worst nightmare. And, of course, to remember my beautiful Maisie.

I’ll be using my JustGiving page as the place to share updates as well as my personal thoughts, so if you can support me through donations and by reading more about Maisie’s treatment on there, that would be so appreciated. And there will still be some updates on the burpees and the challenge training on here too to remind you that I’m still working hard!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.