o …..I’m back fundraising and blogging about fundraising and generally annoying the hell out of folks again until they part with cash, raise some cash or help me out with genius ideas on how to raise some cash… all for the British Lung Foundation
I know that nearly everyone these days bangs on about some charity or another- charity tins are rattled daily at you, no supermarket visit is complete without someone wrestling your shopping off you to put in your bags at the checkout. And we are of course bombarded endlessly with adverts that rip your heart out asking for donations- the exploited bears, the abandoned kittens- not forgetting the starving children- all ruining those moments in between the feel good episodes of Take Me Out- or Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night- how inconsiderate!
Most annoying are the folks standing in the street- with those cheesy lines. I was once hailed over with the words ‘hey foxy lady’… which clearly meant I had been sussed out as woman desperately in need of some attention- these people are well trained it seems! Once cornered, the outcome is inevitable- of course I can afford £3 a month to help homeless Kestrels I say- the eviction of these birds keeps me up most night- now where do I sign?!!! Once home, I file the paperwork in the drawer next to my Chester Zoo penguin sponsorship and my petition to ‘keep Pigeons British’.
Most cheeky are those people that knock on your door selling you dusters for about 10 times the price of what you pay in the local shops… all in the name of rehabilitation. I often have to wrestle with the temptation of saying ‘ I will buy one for that price if I could perhaps witness it independently working its way all round my furniture- seen as at that price is should do something bloody miraculous! Probably not sensible as most of the folks selling these are over 6ft, with many having a history of GBH! I’m pretty sure I would also want to close my head in the door if I had just walked the streets for hours on end in the freezing cold selling furniture polish only to be met with sarcasm!
Most expensive but dazzling are those huge events where we end up wearing bear ears, red noses or rolling in a bath of baked beans all in the call of a good cause. The big difference is with these events is that you seem to get something for your money- a sneaky dance with the One Direction boys, a giggle at Miranda Hart rambling on with Terry Wogan or best of all a sing along and a cry with the Military Wives-or that is just me? A couple of pounds for what feels like a good show! Of course we want to give money to poor countries we shout- as long as we can see Gary Barlow crying like a baby in some third world hospital…well worth a tenner that!
But basically, however annoying it is, fundraising is bloody hard work. It is mostly very boring, can be very embarrassing, stressful, and relentless and at its extreme even dangerous… I would certainly say anyone shaking a tin at anyone outside Wilko’s in Huddersfield is taking their life in their own hands!
So why bother, why am I here again?
Because on the 2nd March 2013 my father lost his battle to a lung disease called IPF (Idiopathic (no known cause) Pulmonary Fibrosis (scarring of the lungs).. We all sat around his bed and watched him fight for every breath- a fight he lost. Words cannot describe just how haunting those last moments were and nor should they be reduced to words in a blog. My dad’s pain will however be a driving force over the next few months-and I know his spirit will ensure I do what I set out to do- which is raise money for research and to raise awareness of IPF. Not to just find a cure, but to find medicines or methods that mean those last few moments of life for someone with IPF can be more peaceful.
So watch this space for what comes next and stick with me please… I am going to need all of your help. And not just donations- ideas for fundraising help with fundraising events- general taking the p*** out of me when I get fed up….
ROUND 2 Dad xxx
x
Is this the end of my op saga?
a tip from my pulmonologist 
Concern with my upcoming procedures.
Visit to my General Practitioner.
Update on my nebuliser
