30/07/2025
🌕✨ On 13th September, our community will get together for our annual Moonlight Walk. 🌕✨
Today, Teri shares her powerful story and the heartfelt reason she’s taking part - inspiring us all to step forward with hope and courage.
"In June 2024, our world shifted when my amazing dad, John, was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. At the time, I was heavily pregnant with my daughter, and just a few weeks later, she was born. To make things even harder, my mum also became unwell - suddenly, I was juggling new motherhood with caring for both of my parents.
Then on the 8th of August, Dad was admitted to Willowbrook Hospice. He spent six precious weeks there before he passed away - weeks that gave us time, comfort, and connection we never thought we’d have.
I can’t express how grateful I am for those six weeks. Thanks to the incredible care he received at Willowbrook, Dad’s condition stabilised, and we were able to just be with him - not as carers, but as family. We laughed, talked, made memories. He even got to watch his beloved Saints play from his bed - the staff made sure of that.
At first, Dad didn’t want to go to the hospice. But once he arrived, he knew it was the right place. It truly felt like a home-from-home. Everyone - from the nurses and doctors to the housekeeping and café staff - treated us like family. We were even able to bring our dog in to visit him.
As a new mum, I was walking through the hospice doors with my newborn daughter in my arms, the staff and volunteers welcomed us with such warmth. They fussed over her, cuddled her, and gave me space to just sit with Dad, to be his daughter again.
Nearly a year later, I’m still supported by Willowbrook through their bereavement counselling service. And this year, we’re taking on the Moonlight Walk in Dad’s memory.
We’ll be walking not just for him, but for the whole Willowbrook team - to help raise funds so more families can have what we had: time, dignity, and love in the most difficult moments. We’ll never forget what they gave us. Thank you, Willowbrook. We are forever grateful.”
Sign up for the Moonlight Walk here: https://willowbrook.org.uk/moonlight-walk-2/
