In January 2018, a wonderful friend, Anna, passed away at the age of 39. She had an extremely rare form of cancer and could not be cured. She received outstanding care and support from the Eden Valley Hospice (EVH) in the final months of her life. In addition, the Hospice provided fabulous support to Anna’s family throughout this most difficult of times.
I first met Anna 15 years ago, when we were both working in a Special Educational Needs school, in North-East England. We were helping to care for and educate young people with autism spectrum disorders. Anna had a caring nature, a fantastic sense of humour and was a great friend to many fortunate enough to know her. She could be the life and soul of a party and had an infectious laugh, guaranteed to brighten your day. Anna is sorely missed by her friends and family, thankfully we still have great memories.
At the time of Anna’s passing, I made a pledge that I’d one day raise funds for the Eden Valley Hospice as a means of saying thank you for the care, dignity and respect they gave Anna. I’m undertaking this challenge in Anna’s memory and hopefully any money raised will assist the Hospice in continuing their extremely valuable work.
