Dedicated supporter Becky is taking on the TCS London Marathon for Birmingham Hospice, after her stepdad and grandad were both cared for by our teams.
Becky’s family first experienced hospice care in 2018 after grandad Mike was diagnosed with cancer. From September onwards that year, he became bedbound. Becky’s nan, brother and mum were all caring for him at home, which was having an impact on everyone.
They were then put in touch with Birmingham Hospice to receive home visits from our Hospice at Home Team, as well as Clinical Nurse Specialist Pip. Months later, Mike went into our Inpatient Unit at our Erdington site, after his condition worsened and he required constant care.
Becky travelled from London to be there with the family, and was there with her nan in Mike’s final moments. She said the team were “absolutely fantastic, the way they set Grandad up and let people come and visit him as they needed. One of the things my nan really valued was being able to just be there with him”. She remembers how “they never made us feel rushed – it doesn’t feel like a clinical setting”.
The team were on hand with tea and biscuits for the family – and even a gin and tonic for Becky’s great aunt when she asked for something stronger. These acts of kindness made a difference, and stayed with Becky’s family.
The following year, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Becky’s stepdad Steve was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, which was compounded with other long-term conditions. She remembers: “Straight away, there was no question that we should contact Birmingham Hospice because of how amazing they were before”.
Steve was admitted to the Inpatient Unit for pain management, but his wish was to be at home, so the team got him set up there. They even organized Becky’s parents’ wedding at the family home after 26 years together, with Pip and the team bringing balloons and presents, creating special family memories. He sadly died the next day.
Becky has consistently supported Birmingham Hospice ever since, taking on a 10K run in London and attending our Valentine’s Ball with family at Villa Park. She said “it’s important for me to give back to the hospice that has done so much for our family”, citing the time the clinical and wellbeing teams spent with her family members.
Becky has had lots of fundraising support in the workplace as well – her colleagues have provided much motivation, as well as advice for training and staying fuelled up nutritionally.
She has held fundraising activities at work, including a quiz night – giving people different ways to support how they wish. Her advice is “if you have a big team, draw on that!”. Becky has also posted on social media and set up a JustGiving page to drum up support.
In the marathon, Becky is most looking forward to “the atmosphere of London, and seeing a different perspective of the city I’ve lived in for 15 years – the training is hard, but people say the marathon is the reward”.
To find out more about fundraising for the TCS London Marathon 2026 with your own place, or to register your interest for 2027, please click the button below:
