I first met Cherie when we were 12 years old at secondary school in London. After years of friendship we got together at 19 and never looked back. I became a builder and Cherie a civil servant. We had three beautiful daughters and set up home in New Zealand in 1993.
In 2004 we welcomed Milo, our dog, who quickly became Cherie’s beloved sidekick, into our family. We also bought a French farmhouse to renovate. Cherie spoke fluent French and it was her dream to eventually live six months in New Zealand and six months in France. For eight years we went back and forth, working on our house, having fun and embracing the adventure together.
Then, in 2008, Cherie was diagnosed with cancer and everything changed. The day of the diagnosis we were lost for words. I remember walking to the carpark, and as we reached our car we both burst into tears. We then had to go and tell our daughters their mum had cancer.
Cherie was so strong though. She got through chemotherapy and radiotherapy and we eventually went back to working on our French farmhouse.
Six years later, Cherie was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer. Life wasn’t going to turn out how we planned.
We immediately turned to Sweet Louise for support. Our Support Coordinator was fantastic. She understood what we were going through and provided us with the care and knowledge we needed. The vouchers we received from Sweet Louise were incredibly useful too.
We used them for things like ordering healthy, prepared meals. After returning home exhausted from treatments, it was a relief for Cherie to have something delicious and nourishing waiting and ready for her.
Cherie passed away last year. We never got back to our farmhouse. We miss her every day.
Cherie always said Sweet Louise was there for her in her time of need. I want you to know that, when you support Sweet Louise members, you are also supporting their families. I am so grateful for the help I received, to understand and better support Cherie with her cancer. Without the help of Sweet Louise, I know our journey would have been much more difficult.
My daughters and I will continue to support Sweet Louise, and I urge other families to do so too. By giving Cherie the support she needed, Sweet Louise allowed us to focus in on what’s important. We had more time to be together. We had more time to be a family.
Martin
PS: you can donate here to support members and their families. Thank you!