Mum

My mum also had a terminal illness, while my dad had his cancer. Often when you tell people of them dying 11 hours apart people assume some kind of accident, but no, they were just unlucky.

While he was diagnosed in Feb, she wasn't till April, and it was with a very rare condition called Nephrotic Syndrome. 12 people a year get this so there really is little known treatment let alone a cure.

Sadly dad died at home, while mum was in hospital, so we had to go and tell her. As we did you could see her let go, she was fighting for him, even though she was probably more ill than he ever was.

The next day they were due to move to a double room in the local hospice so they could spend their days together but it was not to be.

Instead, we popped back to the hospital to see her in the morning to be met by a crash trolley dashing into the ward. My sister and I sat in the waiting room, and then the penny dropped. I told her to stay there, and went to mum's room. 2 and 2 did make 4, and her time was up too.

In a way I look back and take great comfort that they went together, they had a big joint funeral and celebration of their lives. She would have been too ill to go to his funeral, she knew that, so she joined him.

This is a picture of my mum in Conwy, aged around 10 or so. Had never seen it till after they had died, it was in a box in the loft. I love it, she looks so happy there.

58 and 65 is no age, and I am sad that my kids never met them, they have missed out, but I guess they don't know what they have missed in a way.

So, enjoy life every day if you can, in a year, theirs was turned up side down, and then they were gone.