Heli, 43, and Tony Brookes, 57, who are running this year's Great North Run, tell the charity's running team why they are supporting Sue Ryder: "We have taken part in the Great North Run a few times before and had a fantastic time, but this year it's a very special one for us. We have decided to run in memory of our parents who were both cared for at our local hospice, Sue Ryder Wheatfields in Leeds: Ellen Buggs, my mum, and Peter Blakeney, Heli's dad.
Tony says of their experience: "My mum, Ellen, died in August 2009 and Heli's dad only last November. It is difficult to describe what it meant for us, as a family, to be at Wheatfields hospice unless you have experienced the loss of someone you love so dearly. My mum stayed in the in-patient unit at the hospice for a couple of weeks before returning to her home where she wanted to be. Unfortunately in time her condition deteriorated to a stage where it was impossible to look after her at home. A big problem was that mum was adamant she didn't want to go to a hospital or a Nursing Home. But when we mentioned that she was going back to that place where she had been so happy and that lovely gentleman gave her ice cream and jelly, she immediately smiled and said: yes let's go then.
"The lovely gentleman was Norman, the cook at the hospice, who is renowned for going around seeing patients and making sure they eat what they really fancy. He does anything possible to accommodate special requests, like my mum who loved jelly and ice cream.
"One night at about 3.00am Heli needed to go home and I was able to take her and return straight away to be allowed back into the hospice. Where else would you be able to come and go at that time of the morning and be able to stay with your loved one as long as you want? Mum was at the hospice when she passed away five days after her birthday. It was as if she had waited to see every one of us who managed to be with her before dying. On her birthday the nurses brought in a cake so that we could celebrate this special day with her. A few days later it was my wife's birthday and while we were at my mum's side once again the staff made it a special time for us.
With most things in life you can get a second chance, but you only get one chance to die with dignity, love and peace. Both Heli and I as well as both our families have wonderful memories of our parents' last days".
And Heli added: "I come from a big family, my dad had five children and 11 grandchildren. We were all able to go and visit him at the hospice at any time.
"I spent the whole of my dad's last night sitting next to his bed with my other two sisters. It was such a surreal moment, we were there, looking at dad, sleeping, and we were chatting throughout the night - he must have loved hearing that, knowing he wasn't alone. We knew that that was probably his last night and it was important for us to be able to be there with him. In the morning the nurses made sure we were ok too. At Sue Ryder Wheatfield hospice we felt at ‘home'."
Since speaking to Sara, Tony's daughter Sally, 27, has also joined up to run for Wheatfields so it's going to be a real family occasion!"
If you are fortunate enough to have a place in this iconic run and would like to join the Sue Ryder Team please contact events@sueryer.org or call us on 020 7554 5960.
Click here to find out more about the Sue Ryder charity
