Rowan’s sister Sue unfortunately died after a brave battle with breast cancer, and spent three weeks at our Warwick hospice. During her time with us, Sue’s family brought Christmas to her room, including the music and the books she loved, a little tree, and a constant stream of visitors.
Sue had severe learning difficulties from birth but her parents fought hard to ensure she had the same opportunities available to other children and through this persistence, she was able to attend a special school, day centres and, later, adult training centres in Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth.
In 2010 she moved into Ward Grove in Myton – a small, specially-equipped home for three adults with special needs. In early 2016, Sue was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. Towards the end of the year, her condition deteriorated and she was admitted to hospital. In December, Sue came to Warwick Myton Hospice.
The support…
Rowan said: “Sue’s pain was soon under control and my family could go home at the end of the day knowing that Sue was being taken care of by wonderful people on an individual basis. Nothing was too much trouble, and everything was explained to us fully and carefully.
“Myton Hospice even helped us get Sue home for one last Christmas Day together. Sadly, Sue passed away on December 28th but we will never forget the care and support we all received during that time.
“I can’t put a value on what Myton has done for our family but we hope that the money we have raised from friends and family will help other families in the same situation as ours.”
The training…
The couple had never run 10k before taking on the Two Castles but Rowan remembers being a young girl cheering on runners passing her family home in Kenilworth. She signed herself and Albert up (without telling him!) and they began their training.
She said of the Two Castles: “I was surprised by how hilly the route was, plus it was rather windy. I was born in Rouncil Lane, so I knew about the steep hill as you head from Leek Wootton towards Rounds Hill, but the whole course was up and down. We focused on keeping our pace and finished in one hour exactly.
“My parents and sister were there to cheer us on during the route and at the finish line. It felt amazing. I like to think that Sue would be proud of us. We both felt we had more in the tank, so who knows, maybe the Kenilworth half marathon might be next!”
We want to say a massive ‘thank you’ to Rowan, Albert and everyone who supported and sponsored them! We couldn’t carry on doing what we do at Myton without people like you.
We would also like to say very well done to Daniel Walsh, George Madley, Mark Robbins and Jamieson Norton who were the first Team Myton runners to cross the finish line at the Two Castles. Their finishing times meant Team Myton finished in second place out of all the mixed teams!
Jamieson said: “The run was actually really fun, it’s great having so many people supporting you and cheering you on. I run the Two Castles purely for enjoyment, and this year when a friend of mine said I could run for Myton Hospice I jumped at the opportunity knowing I’d be raising money for a fantastic cause!”
We are always thrilled by the number of people who enter the annual race from Warwick Castle to Kenilworth Castle in support of Myton and cannot wait to congratulate all our Team Myton runners for their hard work again next year!
Up for a challenge?
Why not sign up to one of our amazing events! For more information, please click below.