Sunday 3/1/16
It's a new year already
It's been a while since I updated because really there hasn't been a lot going on apart from organising Becci's Christmas raffle and Christmas itself.
I'll get the worst out of the way which is Christmas.
I decided this year I would try a bit harder to be a bit more involved and hopefully this would bring more enjoyment. I organised the works Christmas do, bought a Christmas jumper, bought more presents instead of just giving money, put tinsel round my computer at work and put nice Christmassy things up at home. All that went OK but getting through Christmas itself was horrible, not just for me, but Paul as well. It hit us both hard and it seemed this year to be worse than recent ones, don't ask me why because I can't give an answer. Christmas is a time for happiness, having fun and sharing it with your family. For us now, that doesn't exist and as much as people say, enjoy yourself Rebecca would want you to, she'll be with you, the plain fact is, she isn't here and never will be again and the day she died, so did our little family and with it, everything Rebecca gave us. It's times like these where I wish we had chosen to have another child, not because it would replace Rebecca, but we would still have the family we so desperately miss. Rebecca was only a small girl in terms of stature but she was such a big presence in so many ways and the hole she has left is enormous. Losing a child and even worse an only child is the ultimate torture a person will ever have to deal with but as with every loss, people expect you to recover. Because of this expectation which is probably misplaced, I feel I have to try to deal with times like Christmas better each year but after this year, I've come to the conclusion that Christmas is just another one of those times that we will never really get to grips with and may have to find some other way through it, our way. By that I mean that we may embrace it or choose to ignore it, either way, whilst ever our mother's are still with us, we'll make sure we share some of it with them.
That's all I'm going to say about it apart from saying that actually putting those thoughts down do help me get some order in my head and allow me to see how to go forward. :)
Becci's Christmas raffle took place at The Angel Ackworth on 16th December and raised £1227.00. I have to pay tribute to our family and friends who once again took tickets to sell for us and in particular my sister in law Jill Liversidge who sold 200 at Argos Altofts and Marc and Geogina Hodgson who also sold 200 to their family and friends. Thank you once again to Dean and Julie landlords of the Angel for allowing us to hold the raffle there and pester their customers on the night
A massive thank you to all who supported Becci's fund.
In addition we also had donations from:-
Joe Atha, Dean and Julie who have sold sweets for the last few months at the pub. Joe asked for our charity to receive the proceeds.
My friend Julia Yardley who gave me a donation from her work colleagues at Rotherham JCP.
My friends at work who saved loose change, bought my Mum's cakes and gave money instead of Christmas cards.
Last but not least Dean at the Angel won the hamper, gave it back for us to auction and a very generous chap bought it for £60.
In total we raised a total of £1474.50 and this took our total to a whopping £40,100.50, so we hit the target with months to go. Looks like we'll now have to change the target to £50.000.00
Next up in the fund raising will be Ackworth Cricket match which will be different this year because John Atha who we've been privileged to do it with for the last seven years, has hung up his microphone and retired. Our friend Marc Hodgson who has been part of Becci's team for the last few years has agreed to take over and be in charge of the microphone. I'll update more about this as we go along.
In addition there's a Triathlon on 12th June to train for and I'll have to get started soon because as we all know, time has an habit of catching up with you and I'm not getting any younger to be taking on physical challenges. I wouldn't be taking part in the Triathlon without the support of mine and Becci's friends who readily agreed to join me and form Becci's team and raise some more money in her memory for cystic fibrosis. So Maggie Jewitt, Rachel Edwards, Clare Merrick, Emma McMichael and Paula Craven thank you ladies for taking up the challenge. A point to note, I'm 60 in 2017 so I'll be thinking of a special challenge and you'll all be first on my list to ask. :)
Over Christmas I picked up a horrendous cold and have ended up with a chest infection and on antibiotics. All I can say is, it has made me realise first hand how hard it must have been for Rebecca who had to get through most days with a tight chest and constant antibiotics and for people now with CF who have to live with this daily and the most of whom, never moan. I'm fed up with it after 9 days but the difference is, my discomfort will disappear and I'll get better with no after effects. Unfortunately this isn't the case for people with CF,they have to put up with it forever plus all the other debilitating effects of CF and that to me is a daunting prospect but one I don't have to face.
I really wish the CF Trust would do some hard hitting awareness on the TV of what it's like living with CF on a daily basis. Show good and bad, but get it in the public eye, make the public aware of what a horrible illness it is to live with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There have been a lot of young people lost to CF this year, all taken too soon, one young man I knew personally and was really shocked and upset to hear of his passing. RIP Josh.
So, into 2016 and we'll continue raising money in our quest to find a cure for cystic fibrosis and hopefully this may be the year that CF stands for CURE FOUND.
To anyone reading this I'd like to wish you good health, wealth and lots of happiness for 2016.
As always, thank you for reading.
Cheerio for now
Sue x
