It ain't rock n' roll but... Marie Curie Cancer Care Swimathon

It ain't rock n' roll but hey, fuck you anyway...



As some of you may know, my mother passed from cancer a few years ago. In fact Lost (She believed in angels) from Technology Won't Save Us was inspired by our last days by her bedside and, well...

Lost (She believed in angels) - The Valentines Day Session

It really was only a matter of days between the discovery of my mothers cancer and her eventual passing away but I still remember one of the saddest moments of those few days was a conversation my mother had had with the head doctor and my mothers the realization that they were unsure how much longer she had left and that she may have to leave the hospital and spend her last days at home.

All my mother had ever dreamed of throughout her life was a home surrounded by the love of her family. The more family the better. In her dreams you could never have too much family. Heartbreakingly though, she spent the last years of her life alone (yet somehow still in hope) and the idea of her spending these last days, however many or few it might have been, in a place that she never felt at home just broke her heart. She used to say that her new 'home' had never felt warm when it always felt so empty... She didn't want to go home.

One of things that I always thought was so special about that conversation between my mother and her doctor though was the sincerity and care with which the doctor spoke to my mother and how hard she tried to put my mothers sadness and fears at ease. She was really trying to help.

Of course if my mother would have had to leave the hospital my brother and I would have been by her side (and her sister and her nieces still lived relatively close by as well) but it was also incredibly comforting to think that along with the extra nursing care the hospital would provide if my mother had to go home that there were also groups out there (such as Marie Curie Cancer Care here in the UK) dedicated to providing this help and relief to those unfortunate enough to not have the family, friends, or indeed the finances to have someone help them, accompany them, through those last days.

So here we are... The Marie Curie Cancer Care Charity Swimathon.

Swimathon 2009

Last year I participated in the 2.5km swim (they have 1.5km, 2.5km and a 5km options) and couldn't move for 3 days...

This year though I'm going to attempt to gasp, wheeze and cough my way through the 5km!

As it says on the Swimathon site "Every £20 raised will enable a Marie Curie Nurse to provide one hour of support to a terminally ill patient." and I hope that together we (myself and you, the Sophia Fan Collective!) can contribute a little extra to, what is in my heart, a very worthy cause.

I've just signed up now but once I receive my/our sponsorship link I will post it here, OK?

You guys and gals have a beautiful day and take care...

All my love,

Robin

P.S. Do you think inflatable arm-bands are allowed? :-)