Tom Hill runs London Marathon for St Gemma’s Hospice #FORJENN

Contributor Tom Hill, husband of our Deputy Ed Jenn, who died last year, is running the London Marathon tomorrow to raise money for St Gemma’s Hospice, where Jenn spent her final days.

The following is taken from Tom’s Just Giving page:

I’ve never asked for sponsorship before. I’ve always felt a little guilty about, it to be honest. I do races because I enjoy them; they are fun, and I’ve never needed another reason to enter one. It never felt right to ask for money as well.

This time it’s a little bit different though. I want to say thank you to one particular charity, and I’d love your help to do it. When we ran out of treatment options for Jenn, this charity supported us through the toughest few months. When Jenn was too ill to live at home, they took care of us both for the last few days of her life. I cannot begin to articulate how enormous the impact of the help provided by St Gemma’s Hospice was, but it can be summed up in a single anecdote.

When we arrived at the hospice, Jenn hadn’t been able to go outside for a few days – a pretty cruel consequence of the lung cancer which had already taken so much away from someone who lived for being active outside. She was too ill to walk up or down the stairs at home. Within a few minutes of settling into her room at the hospice, we were able to swing open the big patio doors and feel real fresh air. Later that day, I was able to push her around the garden there in a wheelchair. She could look up and see the blue sky and just be outside. That alone meant as much to us as the amazing life extending care that she received since her diagnosis.

Every single person at the hospice treated us with care, love and utter respect – and they do that day, after day, after day with endless other patients and families.

So, when I got an entry to the London Marathon*, I decided to break the habit of a lifetime and try and raise a little bit of cash towards helping St Gemma’s continue doing a superb job. I will be endlessly thankful if you can donate the price of tonight’s pint, or whatever you can afford to this great cause.

*I’ve bought and paid for this myself. St Gemma’s haven’t incurred any costs, and every penny donated will go straight to them.

If you feel you can spare anything at all for this very worthy cause, you can donate here. Thank you very much.

Barney Marsh

Barney Marsh takes the word ‘career’ literally, veering wildly across the road of his life, as thoroughly in control as a goldfish on the dashboard of a motorhome. He’s been, with varying degrees of success, a scientist, teacher, shop assistant, binman and, for one memorable day, a hospital laundry worker. These days, he’s a dad, husband, guitarist, and writer, also with varying degrees of success. He sometimes takes photographs. Some of them are acceptable. Occasionally he rides bikes to cast the rest of his life into sharp relief. Or just to ride through puddles. Sometimes he writes about them. Bikes, not puddles. He is a writer of rongs, a stealer of souls and a polisher of turds. He isn’t nearly as clever or as funny as he thinks he is.

Comments (3)

Tom HillTom Hill April 23, 2016 at 4:26 pm

I’ve just spotted that my fundraising has tipped over £2500 for St Gemma’s Hospice. Thank you so, so much to the STWers who have donated. It means an enormous amount to me, and know will make a difference to St Gemma’s.

steverstever April 24, 2016 at 3:06 pm

Congrats Tom, great day for running and a superb time! Come on people let’s embarrass the man and send his fundraising target up a bit. For Jenn, for bikes. Choose life, choose outside, celebrate a life well lived.

https://www.justgiving.com/tomrunsforjenn

Barney MarshBarney Marsh April 24, 2016 at 7:42 pm

Two hours forty nine minutes. Phenomenal.

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