A Somerset family who are receiving support from St Margaret’s Hospice Care are encouraging people to take part in the hospice’s Colour Run, Your Way event this August.
Adam Martin, 34, from Wincanton was referred to the hospice after he received the devastating news that his cancer diagnosis was terminal.
Adam, his wife, Sarah, and their children, Albie, 4 and Charlie, 10, are being supported by St Margaret’s and want to make sure everyone knows how important hospice care is. The couple are so appreciative of the care and support they have been given and as a family they will be taking part in the hospice’s Colour Run, Your Way, and are asking people to join in too.
Adam and Sarah said the care they receive from St Margaret’s community team has allowed them to enjoy precious time as a family and staff have helped them come to terms with Adam’s diagnosis.
Adam said St Margaret’s has helped him to manage his symptoms and supported the whole family so he can concentrate on spending time with the boys, from making their breakfast every morning to cheering from the side of a football pitch.
“When we were first contacted by the hospice my first thought was, it must be the end, but after speaking to them we realised it wasn’t. They just wanted to be there to support us and help us during this difficult time,” Adam said.
“To be terminally ill at the age of 34 is not something you’d expect so we just concentrate on making memories for our children and trying to make the most of every day” Adam said.
Due to the pandemic, this year’s Colour Run is different, and the hospice are asking people to take part in their own locations, running any distance they wish around their local area, finishing off with a powder paint party in their gardens. This year’s Colour Run, Your Way is sponsored by Western Power Distribution.
Entry to the Colour Run costs £5 per person participants will receive a Colour Run pack containing coloured paint and a medal. Sponsorship raised by supporters will go towards the care and support St Margaret’s nurses, therapists and doctors provide for patients and their families.
“The staff at St Margaret’s make you feel like you’re not just another case, or another number on the system, they make you feel like they have come here not just for their job but to see you. They make an effort to get to know you personally and you feel like your friend has just popped round for a cup of tea or called for a chat on the phone. It’s just having someone there that makes a difference,” Sarah said.
“Everyone who needs support from St Margaret’s should 100% take it. You need all the support you can get in a difficult time, and they give that to you. The staff are friendly, and kind and they really care about what they do. We are so grateful to St Margaret’s for everything they have done for us.”
For more information or to book your place at the Colour Run visit https://www.st-margarets-hospice.org.uk/colour-run-your-way