"Anne thought about it and she said 'Mum...you know what..I'd love to go to Monet's Garden in France, and stand on the bridge over the lily pond. If I could do that, I would really feel that I was going to get better".
I am aged 62 and live in Trentham. I have a daughter who is married with two children, they live in Birmingham. My hobbies are playing the keyboard, organ and piano. I am a Douglas Macmillan Hospice volunteer and I am retired. My story is about my elder daughter's journey through cancer- and her death which she talked about as 'Crossing the Horizon', and the experience I had in sharing her journey. Inside Lives was amazing. I was one of a group of five - the most interesting group I have ever encountered. Each story was a beautiful insight into their lives and we all got on so well and had such a good time.
My daughter, Anne, wasn't feeling well so she went to see her GP. Later we were told the worst news: Anne had a rare cancer and would have about three months to live--but there was just one chance. Major pioneering surgery might help. I was gob-smacked to hear this. My whole world shook. Anne's operation was successful and as she recovered we talked about going on holiday. Anne thought about it and she said 'Mum...you know what..I'd love to go to Monet's Garden in France, and stand on the bridge over the lily pond. If I could do that, I would really feel that I was going to get better'. And that is what she did. In fact she went back to work, a fit young woman. Five years later Anne became ill again. Yes, the cancer had returned and this time there was little that could be done. She said 'Mum, can I come and die in your bungalow'. She said she was not afraid of being dead, but she was afraid of how she would die. She thought dying would be like crossing the horizon. Then one day as I sat with Anne her head turned gently to one side. It was like a light being turned out by a dimmer switch. Anne had crossed the horizon peacefully and with dignity. Her funeral was on her 40th birthday. The Church was packed and the rafters rang. We were all celebrating Anne's life and it was good. And now. Do I fear death? Not any more. | 
