Hannah Dawes has taken on two distance challenges for Birmingham Hospice in memory of her mum, Tracey.
The challenge was a fitting tribute to Tracey, who loved walking. She would take between 8,000 and 10,000 steps a day, including to and from her work as a special needs teaching assistant.
Tracey had a huge network of friends. Hannah said: “Everyone knew her – even at the hospice she knew one of the ladies there who she used to work with. Our house was like everybody’s house growing up, she was so family oriented”.
After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, there was no question where Tracey wanted to be cared for. Hannah told us: “She knew instantly as her dad was cared for at the Erdington site, and we were all amazed by the care he received. It wasn’t suitable for her to be at home, and the care she had over the space of a week was amazing.
“The staff were great, really accommodating – a lot of people wanted to visit and we were given a space with more room. We were able to stay as a family. They were so caring, responsive and thoughtful – there was no waiting around. The care at the end was brilliant, we were given all the information we needed to access support”.
Alongside her sister, Rosie, Hannah has completed two distance challenges to raise vital funds for the hospice. She said: “It’s good that you can make the challenge work for you and do whatever you want – we could do something that represented what was important to our mum”.
Hannah’s advice for anyone wanting to take on this sort of challenge is “get a good pair of walking shoes!”.
She recommends fitting it into your day and making it work for you: “It’s a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be! Changing it up can be good – don’t get bored doing steps on a treadmill every day.” She found it helpful doing the challenge with her sister Rosie, as they could compare notes and support each other.
You could help fund vital support for families like Hannah’s by taking on Birmingham Hospice’s 5K Steps a Day Challenge this October! Simply pledge to raise £100 and you’ll receive a bespoke medal, as well as the knowledge that you’ve made a difference for local people living with a terminal illness.
