Joe's fundraiser for North London Hospice

Many of you have supported me through my many marathon runs, and even my successful climb up Kilimanjaro in 2010 and my trek through the intense Sahara desert with my NLH team.

Next July 2024, I will officially reach retirement age. I will be 66, so I thought a good way to celebrate would be to do a new challenge - a half marathon on Sunday September 29th - the Windsor Half Marathon. This will be my 94th half marathon altogether!

Like all my challenges, I will be doing this in memory of my wife, Anna Attridge, who sadly died in my arms on 22nd February 2006, age 48, after eight months with terminal Pancreatic Cancer. Anna was an incredible lady, who never complained or moaned.

The reason I chose North London Hospice again as my charity, is because of the support and care given in looking after Anna during the last two weeks of her life, as well as the prior care that they provided.

North London Hospice is very much about life and making the most of the time left and I want to share with you an example of this. During my wife's stay at the hospice, despite her deterioration, her love of walking continued. Each and everyday whilst at the hospice, she and I would walk for an hour. On the day before she died I could see how ill she was, but despite my protests Anna insisted that we go out for a walk and made me walk further than usual, and as we had done all along we talked, laughed, cried and made the most the time we had left. It was very special and the hospice provided love and care in a safe environment that became a home from home.

I saw first-hand how caring staff are and supportive of all the patient's family and friends. It certainly opened my eyes to the fact that the hospices are essential to the community. North London Hospice provide specialist palliative care and what surprised me is that the services are free, all with very little NHS funding.

Since June 2007 I have been a volunteer in the Inpatient Unit at Finchley. I help out in many ways - I see the difference just holding someone's hand can make, reading to them or taking them out for a walk, even if it's in a wheelchair, it really does lift them: you can see the joy on their faces. Whatever I do at the hospice, it really is a privilege to be able to help and support the patients, their family and their friends at what can be a very difficult time.

So I would like to ask you to please support me so that terminally ill patients, like Anna, can be looked after and benefit from the care and support my wife enjoyed. The donations they receive will made patients more comfortable and help them in their hours of need.

Many, many thanks for your continued support.

Joe xx

Just Giving Link 

https://lnkd.in/gU_RtJNs

See the video 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joe-attridge-374622258_hello-everybody-just-an-update-about-the-activity-7204417831805853697-xbFx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android