Juli Greenfield and her family recently rose to the challenge and took part in ‘Sunrise to Remember’ for St Barnabas House, the hospice that cared for her mum, Molly Greenfield, as well as her sister-in-law’s mother, Nanny Joan and other family members.

Molly’s two children, five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and three family dogs, set off on their walking challenge at 4:15am from Worthing Leisure Centre. Juli said:

“It was so nice to take on Sunrise to Remember as a family to say thank you to St Barnabas House. The hospice has been a big part of our family and we don’t know where we’d be without them.”

In December 2021, Juli’s mum, Molly, sadly died at St Barnabas House at the age of 91. Juli said:

“Mum was full of life, she was so vibrant, everyone who met her loved her to bits – and I’m not just saying that because she’s my mum!”

In October 2020, Molly had an ulcer that wouldn’t go away. She started to feel unwell, and her health deteriorated rapidly. After investigations, the family received the devastating news that she had mouth cancer and that her diagnosis was terminal.

Juli added:

“We tried to care for Mum at home, but it was too much. We were struggling to control her pain, and we weren’t sure what else we could do. That’s when St Barnabas House stepped in. We had their Hospice at Home team visit us a few times a day to help with Mum’s care and managed to get her pain under control.”

Then, in September 2021, Molly’s health took a turn for the worse and Molly and her family decided that they wanted her to stay at St Barnabas House hospice.

Juli said:

“I remember visiting Mum for the first time at the hospice and she just had a smile on her face. She loved the place – her room, the staff, everything. We were so happy there.”

On 10 December 2021 at the age of 91, Molly sadly died at St Barnabas House. Speaking about this time, Juli said:

“We can’t thank St Barnabas House enough for being there for our family at that difficult time. Nothing was ever too much trouble for the wonderful care team. They’d let us all visit and stay with her overnight if we wanted to. We’re a really close-knit family, so it meant a lot to us that we could have that quality time together.”

The family have raised over an incredible £1,900 by taking part in Sunrise to Remember for St Barnabas House. Juli concluded:

“My Mum and Nanny Joan would have been so proud of us all for taking part. It was a wonderful experience and proved really valuable in the children’s grieving journey. I pushed Mum’s wheelchair with a picture of her in it alongside me the whole way. And the children were so happy to take part, they had big smiles on their faces the whole time.”

To find out how you can support your local hospice, please visit: www.stbh.org.uk.