A WOMAN who lost her father to cancer has paid an emotional thank you to St Margaret’s Hospice for its support and care it offered her family.

Megan Mclanaghan’s dad Gordon was cared for by the team at St Margaret’s during the last few weeks of his life in 2014.

Megan’s dad had been her inspiration, and she said he was her “best friend in the whole world”.

When Megan lost her Dad, the gap he left was irreplaceable.

After a diagnosis Oesophagus Cancer in 2013, several sessions of chemo, and an esophagectomy later, Gordon, and the rest of the family were hopeful that things were on the up.

Even the doctors thought he was making a wonderful recovery.

Then the shock news came when they discovered his cancer cells were too strong to overcome and at some point the cancer would win.

Little did the family know that this would happen just three months later.

Sadly, Gordon’s health deteriorated and the time had come when doctors gave Gordon and his family the devas- tating news that he only had a matter of weeks left.

Megan, said: “A hospice was his first choice but it was an unknown place and we were all nervous about what we would find.

“On arriving at St. Margaret’s Hospice and seeing the lovely facilities, we instantly knew it was such a special place to spend those last few weeks as a family.

“Words do not describe the support dad had, and the support my mum and I had too.

“Nothing was too much and they really do help create life- long treasured memories.”

Megan and her family have since taken part in fundraising events to raise money for the hospice.

They want to make sure that St. Margaret’s is able to carry on providing their care.

She added: “Finding a cure for cancer is so important but so is funding the places we need the most when the cancer won’t let us win the fight.”

The County Gazette is fundraising for St Margaret’s Hospice throughout our 180th anniversary celebrations.