Ask me to speak about my dad and I immediately smile. I think of a wonderful human being and a wonderful father.
When I was 22 I sat beside my Dad in Charing Cross Hospital, him lying in a hospital bed, my hand on his chest.
One minute his heart was beating and the next it wasn’t. My family and I embraced and loved him as he took his last breaths.
My dad, like many other people in our country (maybe like your loved one too), died from cancer.
I felt physically sick with grief most days.
When I registered his death, the lady behind the counter didn’t even look me in the eye.
I had great friends around me but nobody knew what to say and most said nothing.
Today 6450 people will be bereaved by cancer in the UK. The majority of those left behind will get zero support. The risks to those left unsupported are life-changing – isolation, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, a giving up on life. It’s not OK.
These individuals were among the first to find the support and understanding that they couldn’t find anywhere else.
Today at The Loss Foundation, 1000 people a year find that same support.
“I believe in a world where support is waiting when someone you love dies from cancer – where you get looked in the eye, and have space to grieve.
For the cost of a cinema ticket, you can be the provider of that space for someone each and every month.
Someone like John, Sue-Ellen or Peter…”
£10 enables someone lost in grief, like John, to attend an Online Support Meeting, where they’ll find people who’ve also experienced the horror of cancer taking their loved one.
£13 gives someone suffering immense guilt, like Sue-Ellen, the tools they need to find a reason to live (by attending a Grief Workshop).
£25 funds a Therapy Session for someone who’s lost their soul mate, to learn to grow their world around grief.
Thank you for your support. Please know we are here for you always.
With love and thanks, Erin and everyone at The Loss Foundation 💛