"Anyone can show up when you are happy. But the ones who stay by your side when your heart falls apart, they are your true friends." Bridgette Nicole.
Since Maisie's diagnosis my husband and I have been blown away by the thoughts, prayers and kindness given to us by most of our friends, family and even from people whom we have never even met. It makes me so proud as her mummy to know that Maisie has captured the hearts of so many people with her fighting spirit and determination, and is looked upon as the true inspirational little girl that she is. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the messages we receive to see how Maisie is doing, the meals that have been cooked and left with us, those who have stopped by to say hello and for a wee cuppa, and for the gifts and cards that we have received. It all means so much to us.
I know that what we are going through is very difficult, it is a situation that you don't come across very often, (thankfully), and I know it can be difficult to find the words to say to us. If the shoe was on the other foot I know that I too would probably struggle with what to say, with what to do, not knowing what comfort is needed. I know for some, they have refrained from contacting me or visiting me due to not knowing what to say, or finding it too upsetting, or thinking that we have enough on our plate without the added questions and messages. And I do get that, I do understand that. But what we are going through can sometimes feel very lonely, like the rest of the world is continuing without us and we are stuck here on our own in isolated devastation. I am not looking for any of my friends or family to say or do anything to make this go away, to fix it or to make it better, I just need to know they are there.
One person who has always let her presence be known is my best friend Carla. No matter how difficult it is for her to hear that Maisie has had a bad day or that she has been sick and tired, she still asks. The little messages she sends just to say she is thinking of us, or to let us know that we as parents are doing a great job, means the absolute world. She even brought Spain to us when we had to cancel, bringing sunglasses, buckets and spades, cocktails and a big birthday balloon for my husband as the holiday was also to celebrate him turning 30. There have been days where she has finished work and drove the hour journey just to give me one of her big hugs, to take me for dinner, to have a cuppa tea or to share a bottle or two of prosecco and have a good old chat. Her thoughts, actions and caring ways will never be forgotten and she has been such an amazing friend to us. But she took it one step further when she hit me with this.
Carla organised a fun run on the last day of the month and invited anyone who wanted to come along, to walk or run alongside her for the last 5k. She pulled out all the stops with this event getting flyers printed off, making medals (designed and made by Rachel Bonner and they are fab), sorting goodie bags for all participants, printing running numbers, getting finish line banners, a face painter and even a cake. This woman doesn't do anything by half measure and she put everything she had into it. On the few days leading up to race day Maisie wasn't doing too great, she was showing all the effects of chemo and we weren't sure we would even make it. But, like the little fighter Maisie is, she woke on the Friday morning full of smiles so we decided we would go and if it got too much for her, we would turn and come home again. My dad had gotten us all some t-shirts printed with Maisie's picture on them and Carla also treated Maisie to her own little outfit.
Carla had originally thought if she had about 20 people to join her for the run she would be pleased, but once word of it got out the numbers quickly escalated. On the night, over 250 people turned up to take part and to show their support to both Carla and Maisie. Before the race began Carla called everyone together to say a few words. Watching her stand up there and looking around at everything she had achieved I was overcome with pride and emotion. I did not want to cry that night but seeing everything she had done come together so well, seeing all those people there giving up their Friday night to run and raise money for the Cancer Fund for Children, and to know that it was all for my little girl, my tears started to flow.
Since Maisie's diagnosis my husband and I have been blown away by the thoughts, prayers and kindness given to us by most of our friends, family and even from people whom we have never even met. It makes me so proud as her mummy to know that Maisie has captured the hearts of so many people with her fighting spirit and determination, and is looked upon as the true inspirational little girl that she is. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the messages we receive to see how Maisie is doing, the meals that have been cooked and left with us, those who have stopped by to say hello and for a wee cuppa, and for the gifts and cards that we have received. It all means so much to us.
I know that what we are going through is very difficult, it is a situation that you don't come across very often, (thankfully), and I know it can be difficult to find the words to say to us. If the shoe was on the other foot I know that I too would probably struggle with what to say, with what to do, not knowing what comfort is needed. I know for some, they have refrained from contacting me or visiting me due to not knowing what to say, or finding it too upsetting, or thinking that we have enough on our plate without the added questions and messages. And I do get that, I do understand that. But what we are going through can sometimes feel very lonely, like the rest of the world is continuing without us and we are stuck here on our own in isolated devastation. I am not looking for any of my friends or family to say or do anything to make this go away, to fix it or to make it better, I just need to know they are there.
One person who has always let her presence be known is my best friend Carla. No matter how difficult it is for her to hear that Maisie has had a bad day or that she has been sick and tired, she still asks. The little messages she sends just to say she is thinking of us, or to let us know that we as parents are doing a great job, means the absolute world. She even brought Spain to us when we had to cancel, bringing sunglasses, buckets and spades, cocktails and a big birthday balloon for my husband as the holiday was also to celebrate him turning 30. There have been days where she has finished work and drove the hour journey just to give me one of her big hugs, to take me for dinner, to have a cuppa tea or to share a bottle or two of prosecco and have a good old chat. Her thoughts, actions and caring ways will never be forgotten and she has been such an amazing friend to us. But she took it one step further when she hit me with this.
For anyone who knows Carla will know that she loves a challenge, so as a way to show her love and support to us, she decided to run 100 miles in one month to raise money in Maisie's name for a charity of our choice. I was completely blown away and absolutely floored by her generosity, her commitment and her friendship. We chose the Cancer Fund For Children as our charity and she got to it. Even though she works a full time job and takes part in a million hobbies and interests she still managed time to run over 3 miles almost everyday, and for the days where she couldn't, she made up for it the next. It was a tough challenge for her but on the hard days when she was caught in the rain or was exhausted and drained from everyday life, she thought of little Maisie May. She looked to her for the motivation to keep going, to keep running through the pain and the tiredness and with every step she ran she raised money for a very worthy cause.
Carla is truly one of life's greatest creations. She is a totally selfless person who puts others before herself, she is humble and modest in her actions, and even though she ran 100 miles she wanted no credit and no praise. She just wanted people to think of Maisie and to donate to the charity that has helped us through this difficult time in our lives. Her efforts caught the attention of the local papers and Local woman magazine, and when speaking to them she again downplayed her hard work and dedication wanting only to highlight Maisie's fight.
And as if all this wasn't enough, Carla decided that as way to bring even more awareness and to encourage even more donations, she did this.
Carla had originally thought if she had about 20 people to join her for the run she would be pleased, but once word of it got out the numbers quickly escalated. On the night, over 250 people turned up to take part and to show their support to both Carla and Maisie. Before the race began Carla called everyone together to say a few words. Watching her stand up there and looking around at everything she had achieved I was overcome with pride and emotion. I did not want to cry that night but seeing everything she had done come together so well, seeing all those people there giving up their Friday night to run and raise money for the Cancer Fund for Children, and to know that it was all for my little girl, my tears started to flow.
With us having Maisie in the pram we decided we would walk the 5k, (that's my excuse for not running and I am sticking to it), so we were among the last few to cross the finish line. As we approached the end Maisie was still awake in the pram and still waving and smiling at everyone who passed, so my husband suggested we lift her out and carry her over the finish line. I can honestly say, walking over that finish line with Maisie in my arms to the sound of clapping from those surrounding us, and seeing Carla standing waiting with the biggest smile on her face, is definitely a moment I want to remember for the rest of my life.
I would just like to say a massive thank you to each and every person who came out to run that night. To all those who donated to the charity, who helped Carla organise the event, who gave of their time to set up or who provided supplies. I would like to thank Keith Rutherford for the beautiful photos of the evening, they are definitely ones to treasure and currently take pride of place in my home. And I would like to thank Andrew, Carla's husband. Carla takes on these challenges with pure selflessness, she puts so much of her time and energy into them and I am sure at times it is extremely tough. So Andrew, thank you for putting up with her on the times when she is tired and exhausted, and thank you for encouraging her and appreciating her for the amazing woman she is. Giving her this medal on the night she completed her last 5k was a beautiful gesture and I know it meant a lot to her.
And I would just like to finish by saying thank you to Carla, but that just doesn't seem enough. I am not sure she will ever understand what all this has meant to me and how truly touched I am for what she has done. She is without a doubt one in a million, my true best friend and my life is so much better for having her in it. I am truly blessed to have a friend who not only loves me, but also my husband and our little girl. Thank you for being there for us all when we needed it the most. I love you, and I know Maisie loves her 'auntie Carla'.
Wendy.
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