Mum's the Word 2008

Our first event, Mum's The Word, was in aid of Ovarian Cancer Action and The Meningitis Trust, but no doubt you realise that they are two practically unrelated charities. There are reasons for the choosing of those charities and they are as follows...

1) Both Meningitis and Ovarian Cancer are very agressive diseases and in some cases are virtually undetectable until it is too late.

2) The two organisers of the event lost possibly the most important person in a young girl's life as a result of either meningitis or ovarian cancer - their mother.

The name "Mum's The Word" comes from not only the popular saying, but from the fact that the event is in memory of two mothers. The event also fell close to Mother's Day and during Cancer Awareness month.

The cabaret in in memory of two fantastic women, who both passed away young as a result of a very agressive disease. Here are their stories.

From The Point Of View Of Her Daughter - Laura

My mum passed away on the 19th April 2007 as a result of Ovarian Cancer. It all started fairly normally. After all, the girls amongst us will agree that stomach pains are a pretty regular thing. That's the alarming thing about ovarian cancer. By the time it's distinctly noticeable it's too late. You don't think twice when you experience stomach pain and a little bit of heartburn here and there. Hell, it's all part of being a woman - right? Sadly not. My mum had been ill barely six weeks before she passed away very suddenly. It was a huge shock to the family and still is only a few months later.

Although it is a horrible thing to lose someone, losing my mum is the reason for the organisation of "Mum's The Word". If the money raised saves just one person's life then the planning and everything will be one hundred percent worth it. My mum was a wonderful person and thought the world of me and my sisters, and I know she would be incredibly proud of what is going to happen on the 9th March 2008. Here's hoping that it's a fitting testament to the most important person in my life and the person my lkife will never be the same without.

The picture to the right is my mum, me and my sister Kayleigh, and the one to the left is my mum and my younger sister Sarah.

Please Click on the link below for more information on Ovarian Cancer and Thankyou for supporting Mum's The Word.

http://www.ovarian.org.uk

From the point of view of her daughter - Amy.

I never had the joy of knowing my mum. all I have is other people's memories and a few photos of me with her where I was too young at the time for me to remember them now.

In the summer of 1986 I was struck by what was later confirmed as Meningitis. After being given various medicines I overcame the disease. Two days later my mum came down with " a cold " that went from bad to worse. Within a day, she had become so ill she couldn't get out of bed, which prompted my family to call the doctor out to the house. Three doctors visited over three days and they all concluded that the mystery illness was obviously just a virus she had picked up.

Six days after contracting meningitis, Linda Nicholson died aged thirty.

At that time, meningitis was rarely heard of. It was practically undetectable until it affected the brain and therefore was practically incurable. Now research has moved on immensly and doctors are far more aware of symptoms and cures. Generally the survival rate is higher. However, the disease is still relatively unknown and the main thing is to make people aware of the signs. My mum died young, but by making people aware of the illness, the same thing won't happen to others.

For more information on meningitis itself please click on the link below.

 http://www.meningitis-trust.org/

Never Neverland is proud to support NCH in memory of Linda Nicholson. www.nch.org.uk