‘I haven’t seen my dying mum for over a year due to Covid-19’
47-YEAR-OLD DIAGNOSED LAST MARCH WITH VERY RARE BONE MARROW CANCER
A DEVASTATED daughter r says she hasn’t been able e to see her terminally-ill ll mum in more that a year r because of the Covid-19 9 pandemic.
Last March, Holly Rich- ard’s mum, Lisa Kidd, 47, was diagnosed with an incredibly rare form of bone marrow cancer called multiple myeloma. Unfortunately, the cancer is terminal.
Holly lives in Grimsby and her mum lives near Grantham, and they’ve been unable to see other since last March. With no time scale as to how long her mum has left, Holly has set out on a fundraising trail as she attempts to improve awareness of bone marrow cancer and to keep her mum smiling during one of the toughest times of her life.
She has already run a marathon and attempted to run 100 miles during August last year, now she’s set to shave her hair off as she does what she can to help her mum.
Holly said: “My mum is a massive family person and is incredibly loving. If she can do anything for someone, she will. It was awful when we found out about her cancer.
“After months of testing, we were told she had one of the rarest forms of bone marrow cancer, multiple myeloma. We were then told it was terminal as doctors had no idea how to treat it, so there is no way to cure her.
“During her time at the clinic, she was told she was the youngest person there with that type of cancer by 13 years. We found out just before lockdown so it’s been driving me nuts not being able to go see her as she currently lives away in Grantham.
“It really hit me when my mum told me. I could tell it was upsetting her too though. Normally, she doesn’t like anyone to have to look after her, but now she has no choice.
Holly says the beginning of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have stopped her from seeing her mum
s since last March. She explained: “My mum lives in the South Kesteven distr trict which has been dreadfu ful for cases at some points o of the Coronavirus pand demic.
“I was planning to go and s see her again when lockd down was first announced. Instead, I’ve had to just keep in regular contact with phone calls and carry on messaging her as frequently as I can. “I’ve not seen her in more than a year now.
“We’ve never been given a time scale for how long she’s got left either. It’s taken them so long to figure out what was wrong that they’ve struggled to work out how long mum has left. “However, we won’t let that change anything for us. It does hurt to know she won’t be around at some point, I know I’ve got support from friends and family, but I’ve always liked having her there.”
Following the news, Holly has decided to start a number of fundraising and charity events to help raise awareness about her mum’s illness. She explained: “It’s one of the rarest cancers out there and can often be misdiagnosed, every penny counts to try and develop the knowledge about it. “Already, I’ve completed a marathon and, in August, I tried to run and walk 100 miles. Sadly, 95 miles in, I collapsed and had a fit during an epileptic seizure I had and had to pull out. “My epilepsy, which I’ve had for 10 years now, has also meant I’ve had to pull out of a charity boxing event later this year, but I’ll be shaving my hair in a few weeks time.”
A year on from her diagnosis, Holly says her mum has shown no signs of slowing down. “She gets tired and exhausted, but she seems to be doing okay.
“She works in retail and she’s still not given up her job. She loves what she does and I don’t think she’ll let anything stop her from doing that.”
■ To donate to Holly’s cause, go to her JustGiving page which can be found on our website www.grimsbylive.co.uk.