A mum of two who has seen four members of her close family cared for at her local hospice has pledged to raise as much money as she can for the charity.
Julie Sutton’s dad, grandad and aunt died at LOROS, and then her husband, Nick, aged just 47, was also cared for there until his death three years ago.
Julie’s connection with LOROS began with her grandad back in the 1980s, who had lung cancer. She was only a teenager, but still remembers visiting. She went on to lose her auntie and then her dad. She recalls: “I remember us walking into LOROS, and Dad giving a great big sigh of relief that he could finally relax, he knew he was in the right place.”
Then in 2018, Julie’s husband Nick, aged 47, died of bowel and secondary lung cancer after a four year battle with the disease. The couple’s two sons, Ryan and Ellis, were aged just 6 and 2 years at the time.
“Nick was such a funny man, always messing around, and making jokes. I remember all the nurses loved him and his humour, even when he was really poorly he was still cheeky.
“I’ll always remember our time at LOROS, it was a difficult time, but it would have been much harder if we were at home. After months of being uncomfortable and in pain, he was finally at peace. We felt safe there, and well looked after.”
After a difficult lockdown, Julie and her family decided to spread some positivity by fundraising for the charity.
“As a family we are huge LOROS supporters. We all want to help raise as much money as we possibly can, in Nick’s memory. We want to do him and his boys proud!"
Julie is supporting the LOROS Spring into Summer Raffle, where for £1 you can be in with a chance of winning £5,000, as well as helping LOROS care for patients and their families.
She hopes to raise thousands in raffle ticket sales to help families who have had similar experiences. Julie said: “As a family we have had so much support from LOROS over the years, so I can honestly say, LOROS is such an important and special place, I don’t know what we would have done without them.”
Visit loros.co.uk/raffle for details.
