In just under a month, I’ll be running in the Bristol Half Marathon to raise money for Cancer Research.

To help raise awareness, I’m going to be dressed as a butterfly!

Why a butterfly?

Well, at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, the palliative care department  uses the butterfly as it’s logo. Patients receiving palliative care are treated with a butterfly on their notes and on the ward status boards.

When my mum was in hospital for her final days, I was absent-mindedly looking at one of the boards on her ward and I noticed that a large number of patients had butterflies next to their name. It was with a dawning horror that I understood what this meant: that Christmas, there were a few dozen people on her ward alone who were dying, who might not see the new year, who had broken-hearted relatives keeping vigil by their loved one’s bedside.

The hospital had many such wards.

So, to remember that so many people die early and that so many more are left in grief every year, I’m running the Bristol Half as a butterfly.

Would you consider sponsoring me – not just for me, but for the families, the memories, and the futures that Cancer Research helps protect?

https://ajbellgreatbristolrun2025.enthuse.com/pf/a-j-skingsley-ross