A Markfield music student shaved her head at her 21st birthday party in memory of her cousin.
Rosie Bland went under the clippers on Friday 22 May to raise money for Rainbows. She is aiming to raise £1,000 for our hospice because we provided specialist end of life care for her cousin, Lucy Rawlings. The fundraiser was more poignant because as well as Rosie’s 21st, it would have been Lucy’s 23rd birthday.
Lucy, of Coalville, was diagnosed with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive soft tissue cancer, when she was 10-years-old. She beat the illness several times, but Lucy sadly died in November 2019, aged just 15.
Rosie said: “Lucy spent the last few weeks of her life at Rainbows, and they made her as comfortable as possible during such a difficult period. She carried on watching her favourite shows and was surrounded by family and she received the most wonderful care as her brave journey came to a close.
“I visited Lucy several times whilst she was in Rainbows, and I always felt it was a very welcoming and understanding place; they have such wonderful staff and facilities to help families.
“It was several years ago now but I will always remember the levels of professionalism, care and dignity on display during Lucy’s treatment. Lucy and our family were always looked after and checked up on, and after she passed, we attended one of Rainbows’ beautiful remembrance services. It was such a lovely service, and it was nice to feel part of a bigger unit of families, joined together in peaceful reflection of all of our losses.”
On Friday (22) Rosie was excited to let her mum, Amy, shave her head in Lucy’s memory. She added: “I actually couldn’t wait as I have wanted to shave my head for a long time and our birthdays seemed the most perfect time to do it. I would like to thank everyone who supported me, and I love my new look.
“Lucy was such a happy child, and as we grew up, we had so much fun together, playing video games, watching our favourite movies on repeat, and spending hours on video calls when we couldn’t be together. She was hilarious and always up for a game, and she loved her family so much. One of Lucy’s other most defining qualities was her knowledge of and infatuation with animals, most notably her dog, Milo, and her horse, Bella, and some of my favourite memories of us are animal related.”
Kerry Laurie, Rainbows Community Fundraiser, said: “We would like to thank Rosie for having the courage to shave her head to raise money for Rainbows. We rely on our supporters to help us fund our specialist palliative and end of life care at the hospice, in hospitals and at home, so we can be there for children like Lucy and families like Rosie’s.”
To sponsor Rosie, visit Rosie Bland is fundraising for Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People