Losing my loved ones to Mesothelioma – how fundraising has helped me
After experiencing devastating loss, losing his wife, mother, and brother to mesothelioma, 76-year-old Ray started fundraising for Asthma + Lung UK. Here, he tells us his story about how doing a challenge has helped him to cope with his loss, and how he’s fundraised over £13,300 in aid of mesothelioma support and research.
I was married to Jean for just over 40 years. I become widowed 12 years ago after she developed mesothelioma, a lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. I also lost my mother Jane in 1979 and most recently my brother David in May 2021 to the disease. David was only diagnosed in January.
Jean was diagnosed in 2007. It was devastating, especially as Jean had nursed my mother when she was also ill with mesothelioma.
How fundraising has helped me to deal with my loss
I started fundraising at Jean’s funeral, we got about £1000, and we put them into the Jean Turnbull Snowdrop Memorial Fund. Now we’ve raised more than £13,300 and try to raise £1,000 for every year since she has died. I wanted to be able to do something to help fund the vital research and support for people with this disease.
Last year was hard with the lockdowns, we couldn’t even do a tombola and I had some health problems. My neurologist suggested I do a bit more walking so when the Stepathon came along in September 2020, I decided to take it on. I raised £870 that month and went on from there.
My three-year fundraising challenge
On New Year’s Day in January 2021, I challenged myself to do a five million step challenge and a million pedals on my exercise bike. A crazy idea, and I was sober at the time! Unexpectedly I got a £20 donation, So I decided that for every pound donated I’d do 20,0000 steps and 3000 pedals a day. And it has snowballed from there.
My plan is to complete 20 million steps and 3 million pedals over three years, picking up 1000 bags of litter along the way on my walks. I’m absolutely delighted with people’s generosity, and we have raised around £1,600 in a year. It’s fantastic as times have been hard.
Last week, I reached halfway through my challenge, hitting 10 million steps, 1.5 million pedals and 557 bags of picked up litter.
Raising money in memory of my loved ones
It’s made me feel so good to know I am raising money to help the work that Asthma + Lung UK (previously British Lung Foundation) do to fund research and support for people like Jean, my mother Jane, and David.
I was married to Jean for just over 40 years, we had plans to retire and explore the British Isles. She has missed so much of the grandchildren. She used to love going to see them in school plays, so I have made sure that I continue to go. I know that she is there with me.
I think if you have a good marriage and you’re close, then parts of your partner rub off on you. And I think the better parts of me come from Jean.
You can visit Ray’s fund page here - Jean Turnbull Snowdrop Memorial Fund (muchloved.com) and for advice and information about Mesothelioma, please visit our website here.
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