Image source, Jack and Dee
Dee wants to “build memories” with her son Jack on their final holiday
- Author, Louise Parry
- Role, BBC News, Hertfordshire
- People have donated more than £9,000 so Dee and her son, Jack, can go on a last holiday together
- Dee has been unable to work after being diagnosed with stage four breast cancer
- They have booked a trip to Austria so she can teach her teenage son to snowboard as a “parting gift”
A single mum who is terminally ill with breast cancer is thanking donors for funding a “last hurrah” with her son.
Dee, 44, from Hatfield in Hertfordshire, says her parting gift to her 17-year-old son, Jack, will be teaching him how to snowboard.
She has booked a trip to Austria after raising more than £9,000 through a Go Fund Me page.
“I’ve got about a year potentially, maybe a bit more or less, so it’s making the most of the time,” she said.
Dee is being treated at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage for stage four breast cancer
Dee was originally diagnosed with primary breast cancer in 2016 when Jack was 11.
Last year she was told the cancer had reached stage four.
“I was told I have stage four breast cancer with liver metastases, and as the icing on the cake I lost my partner to a brain tumour last October, ” she said.
Memories
“We’ve had some really hard things to deal with, and I want to have a lovely holiday so that when he looks back, Jack can have some really lovely memories of our time together.
“Also when I’m lying in my hospital bed, I will have some positive things to look back on.
“It’s really important to build the memories with him so he’s got the grounding to prepare him for the rest of his life,” she adds.
Dee worked at ski resorts when she was younger and is taking Jack on holiday to Austria
The mother and son dreamed about going to the Maldives or Whistler in Canada but found the insurance “astronomical” at about £4,000.
Dee worked at ski resorts in the past and decided to teach Jack a new skill.
“My parting gift will be teaching him to snowboard. As a parent, you have certain roles and responsibilities – you teach your child to walk, to talk, to ride a bike, to be generally a nice human being.
“I don’t drive so I can’t teach him that. This will be one of the last things I will be able to teach him properly, she said.
Dee admitted the outpouring of support for her appeal was “quite overwhelming”.
“I’m just so grateful, words can’t express it and it’s been nice seeing the messages from people I haven’t seen for a long time.”
She has been speaking to her sister about “the gift of time”.
“Even though it’s been robbed of us, we can make the most of the time we have, ” she added.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
