It was three years ago today that the love of my life Christine died from Non-Hodkinson’s Lymphoma, a form of blood cancer.
The last three months of her life were filled with increasing pain and sickness until the doctors informed us that there was nothing further they could do for her and they were withdrawing treatment. Christine and I knew what that meant, she was going to die. She was extremely bloated, very, very ill and she had suffered enough.
Less than three months since she had organised a Christmas holiday evening meal for over 30 members of our family she was going to die. It didn’t seem possible or real. But that’s what cancer can do.
As was typical with Christine though her thoughts weren’t about herself, they weren’t about the fact she was going to die. Her thoughts were about her family, about me, about her daughter, about her newly born grandson. Would we be alright?
Five days after treatment was withdrawn she died in my arms surrounded by her closest family.
I had a song I’d composed called Your Guardian Angel. It was meant to be about me taking care of her. I changed the lyrics and title and made it about asking her to take care of me. My Guardian Angel was born.
I asked my nephew-in-law Jermaine Nelson-Williams to help me by producing the song so that it could be played at Christine’s funeral. It was the last song we played that day.
I hope My Guardian Angel is good enough to do justice to Christine. She was quite simply an exceptional person and had been with me for half her 46 years. I miss her tremendously and I always will but having the song My Guardian Angel somehow makes that slightly more bearable.
The JustGiving page we set up in Christine’s name has raised a staggering £7,435 already, including tax relief.
The release of the single My Guardian Angel has added hundreds of pounds to that figure and there’s still more money to come in.
I’m asking everyone who reads this to please do several things, whether you knew Christine or not. Please share this on your own social media pages.
Please either buy the download of the song for £1 or please buy the CD for £5. All the proceeds will be donated to Blood Cancer UK. Please click here for more information.
Please also stream the song on Spotify, iTunes, Deezer etc and please share the stream with your family and friends. Again all the proceeds will be donated to Blood Cancer UK. Please click here for more information.
Please also watch the video that accompanies the song, it all helps. Please click here for more information.
We all know someone who had been affected by cancer. By streaming, downloading the song or buying the CD you will help bring forward the day when we defeat cancer and no family will have to face the pain of losing someone as special as Christine.
Please click here to visit the JustGiving page.