Louise’s son, Luke, shares his mum’s story and experience with St. Michael’s Hospice.

Louise was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021. She underwent a lot of treatment and was selected for a clinical trial in the Royal Marsden in London. As a family, they were told that the trials were going well, but Luke could see that his mum was growing weaker as time went on.

Over Christmas, Louise suffered from seizures and was taken to hospital. It was at this point that Louise was asked to leave the trial and was introduced to the Hospice. When Louise left the hospital and was brought into the Hospice for end-of-life care, her family were told that she may only hours left of life. However, Louise was a fighter. With her determination and the Hospice’s care, Louise lived for another four weeks and was even able to walk again with assistance.

When asked about his original perception of a hospice, Luke said: “I absolutely hated the idea of the Hospice. My perception was that you only go there for one thing – that it’s the end of the road. But we had another four weeks with mum. I think if it wasn’t for the love and the care from the people at the Hospice it would have been a lot shorter. There was always someone there with mum, they made a real difference and made that extra time with her really special.”

Due to the seizures, Louise missed her husband’s birthday. So, the Hospice team put on a birthday party for him and the family in Louise’s room in the Hospice.

“They didn’t have to do that, but they went the extra step for us as a family. She even had a shandy that night to celebrate. It was so special.”

Louise has chosen to spend her final days at home, as that is where she was more comfortable. The Hospice arranged for Louise’s transport from the In-patient Unit, and our Hospice at Home team visited to rearrange her Livingroom to ensure Louise was safe and pain free.

“I believe mum fought to come home because that was where she wanted to be. I never thought I believed in that kind of thing before, but after seeing it with my own eyes it is hard not to believe.”

In the two years from Louise’s diagnoses, she never gave up experiencing life. She married Ryland and, after being a childminder her whole career, she became a grandmother twice. She was able to see her son become a father and her daughter become a mother just 28 days apart.

“To walk into the Hospice every day and for everyone to know who I was – I didn’t feel alone, I didn’t feel like a stranger, it became my home for those two weeks. Even when I saw other families, they were all friendly. Even though you are going through the worst time in your life, you’re going through it together.”

Runcorn to St. Michael’s Challenge

After experiencing the Hospice care and support, Luke wanted to give something back, but he wanted to set himself a truly difficult task. So, he set himself the incredible challenge of cycling from Runcorn in Liverpool to St. Michael’s Hospice in Basingstoke, across Louise’s birthday weekend, arriving on Monday 22 June to cheers from family, friends, and the St. Michael’s Hospice staff.

“When I told my mum and stepdad about my idea in the room in the Hospice, they thought I was mad! But the idea just kept evolving and more people wanted to be a part of it. It just became possible that we could do it.”

The daring team included Luke, Louise’s husband Ryland, and their friends Martin, Carl and Darren, along with Nathan who drove down with the cyclist’s equipment in his van.

They cycled over 400km across four days. Every member of the team had someone in their life affected by cancer. As they made the gruelling journey, they discussed their experiences coping with cancer.

They camped every night along the way. Their first campsite even opened early to give them a free breakfast so they could get on the road with a full stomach. They shared their stories along the way and continued to raise more money for the Hospice as people wanted to support their journey.

They tackled overgrown paths, thorn bushes and nettles, aching muscles and more punctures than they could count. A lot of people doubted Luke, including himself, but he did it and knows he can make a difference to others by challenging himself.

“We earnt the money that we raised. It was for a great cause, and we earnt every penny. I haven’t ridden a bike since I was 15 years old, I was hurting during the challenge, but there was someone watching over me and pushing me forward. I had to believe in myself. I did it for mum and for the Hospice.”

They originally set themselves a target of £3,000 but their fundraising page [https://www.justgiving.com/page/martin-king-1711726052404] is still open and rising. Together, they have currently raised over £5,000 for the Hospice.

“People should not need to raise money for the Hospice. I should not have to have done a challenge to give something back. It blows my mind that the government only pays 16% to the Hospice. At this day and age people should not have to raise money to die in peace.”

The team glided through the gates of the Hospice on Louise’s birthday. When asked if this was always the plan to arrive on that date, Luke said:

“It was never the plan to do it on mum’s birthday, but it seemed fitting to arrive at the Hospice on that day. We were able to turn what would have been a dark day into something really positive. I feel like I can do anything now, I’ve proven to myself that I can do more.”

Luke is keen to keep pushing himself and plan to take on bigger and more challenging fundraisers for the Hospice every year on his mum’s birthday.

“Thank you to everyone, what everyone did at the Hospice for me and my family is special and will always hold a place in my heart forever. The Hospice is a necessity, it is needed, and without it there would be a lot of miserable people in the world. I wanted to show my appreciation from my family and friends to show how much it all meant.”

Please enjoy the rider’s challenge highlights video below: