Story: Michelle Cook
Family and friends of a local woman with terminal cancer are appealing for help to turn despair into hope. She has requested that we do not reveal her identity at this time.
She lives with her young family in Burngreave. She has spent years working in various roles, including school mentor and volunteering at the CAB, training to work in immigration advice, devoting her life to raising her family and helping others. Now she has cruelly had her time cut short and has a dying wish. Her wish is to make a return trip to Jamaica with her family before she dies.
Her parents were from Jamaica, and she remembers how important the return journey was for her as a child following her father’s death. She told me, “The minute I stepped off the plane I felt at home.”
She would like to give her children the opportunity to walk the same roads she did with her mother. To feel some of the culture which they have never seen, especially to witness some of the hardship there and greater appreciate the advantages they have here, a feeling perhaps shared by many people in our community whose families are spread over continents.
She always vowed to return with her family, for them to experience their roots. Sadly, time is running out for her to fulfil this wish as, despite all her extended family chipping in and saving herself, she cannot save enough money for them all to go before it is too late.
Drawing strength from her Christian faith, she believes she will be granted the time to fulfil this dream. Family and friends have formed a group “Make a Wish” and are launching a fundraising effort to not only raise money for the trip but to donate any excess money to the Palliative Care Unit and the Northern General, where she is currently undergoing treatment and their Macmillan Nurses.
Although very newly formed they already have events in the pipeline with proposed dates;
“Come Dine With Me” style celebrity dinner on 29th April
5-a-side football match at Sheffield United Academy in June
Dance at SADACCA provisionally on the 10th of July
Other ideas are: Sponsored walk, coffee morning, fashion show, ladies’ day.
She told me,
“I need to remain focused on this it helps me, through the dark times, to think I can leave a wonderful memory for my children.”
The committee is busy planning as much as possible in the short time available. They need people to come forward with offers of premises, raffle prizes, etc. None of them have ever done anything like this before and would be really grateful for any help local people and businesses can offer to make this happen.
She would also like to thank the doctors and Macmillan nurses for all their care and support in the last 11 months.
If you can help in any way or for more information please contact Lynn on 07979 593 588.
Please look out for flyers advertising upcoming events and on the Burngreave Messenger website.