Mom of two, Sophia Lee-Keow, is a nurse practitioner from Birmingham. She decided to raise some money to say thank you for the care her mom received from the Hospice at Home team at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice.
‘They provided a very good service. They made everything so much easier in a really sad situation. We appreciated the support we received as a family’.
Sophia decided to organise a sponsored hair cut to raise the funds in November 2021.
“My hair was very long because of lockdown. I have never had short hair, so this was a real change. I challenged myself that if I raised £500, I would cut my hair short, but to my liking. £1000 would equal a bob cut, and £2000 a pixie cut, which I reached! My sons actually didn’t recognise me with my new hair!”
Sophia raised a fantastic £2106.25, and her hair was then very kindly donated to the Little Princess Trust to create wigs.
When asked what Sophia enjoyed most about her challenge, she responded with ‘seeing how generous people are. I was fundraising around Christmas so didn’t expect too much, but people were really kind. Some even substituted Christmas cards to make a donation.’
Sophia discussed her idea with her mom before she sadly passed away in June 2021. During her illness, she received treatment and visits from the Hospice at Home team.
‘They visited mom regularly, especially within her last days. The equipment and services available were really good. A lot of the time you don’t realise what you have access to, but they made it so easy for us and nothing was too much trouble.’ The hospice has continued to support Sophia and her family since.
Sophia’s advice for anyone wanting to fundraise in the future is to ‘definitely use JustGiving. It made it so easy to share my story on social media. I have family abroad, so this made it simple for them to support my cause. Every contribution helps.’
Sophia’s amazing fundraising can fund the equivalent of 25 home visits from an occupational therapist. This brings us closer to our goal of reaching almost 3,000 people each year in the local community in the comfort of their own homes. With the help of our amazing supporters, we hope to continue to deliver expert palliative and end of life care, and reach more people in Birmingham and Sandwell. Thank you Sophia!
If you want to get involved and organise your own fundraiser, please get in touch with fundraise@birminghamhospice.org.uk
