When Kelly Proudlove’s mum, Norma, suddenly passed away last year, a hole was left in the family home. But Kelly and her family found a way to channel their grief into something positive, raising funds for NorthCare Charity, the official charity of Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust.
Norma, who required emergency surgery for a bleed on the brain, spent ten days on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Salford Royal Hospital before she passed. Kelly and her family were so grateful for the compassion and care Norma received that they decided to raise funds for wellbeing projects for staff on the ward.
Kelly is running the Manchester Marathon this April to fundraise for the second year in a row, after finding running an outlet for her grief. “Running has helped me manage my anxiety and deal with the pain of losing my mum. After running the Manchester Half in October 2021, my mum encouraged me to sign up for the marathon before she passed away, so I knew I needed to do it for her.
“My mum and I lived together for 15 years and she was a massive support for me, she played a huge part of my children’s lives. The team on ICU looked after her so well and we really wanted to give something back to show our appreciation. I feel so proud of what we’ve managed to achieve in her memory.”
Kelly’s ten year-old twins, Kai and Keiara, also decided to get involved and will be holding their second charity bike ride and a bake sale at school to raise money. “We were really close with our Grandma and we really miss her”, they said. “Our favourite memories are the day trips we went on with her, to the zoo and the beach. Last year we were able to visit the ward she stayed on and say thank you to the staff who looked after with her which was really sad, but a nice experience.”
“Fundraising in memory of someone is a great way to mark the life of someone special”, said Jess Pollard, Fundraising Officer at NorthCare Charity. “The achievements of Kelly and her family are amazing and we’re so pleased we can support them to fundraise for a consecutive year. The money raised will go a long way to fund projects supporting the wellbeing of staff on the Unit, which is so appreciated.”
You can support Kelly’s fundraiser by visiting her JustGiving page, www.justgiving.com/kelly-proudlove.