Just to get away from the book reviews for a moment…
I have a lovely friend called Marie – we’ve never actually met, but we know each other well through our mutual love of books. Marie has the most perfect little boy called Oliver who runs her ragged, but when she lost her very closest friend Claire Shepherd in February she decided that the best way of remembering her would be to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support in her name – I’m so proud of her, and I just know Claire would have been too. I’ll let Marie tell you more about Claire, and why she’s doing all she is…
I had the privilege of meeting Claire in 2013 – we met on a blind date! Claire sadly was undergoing treatment for breast cancer – we both had little bubbas around the 4 month age at the time. The health visitor asked if I would mind meeting Claire at a farm trip – I was terrified! I needn’t had been – Claire was so easy to get along with right from the very start. She had no hair when i met her, but she was brave and bold and happy to talk about the cancer just like it was a cold. We soon become great friends – meeting up twice a week, soon 4/5 times a week. Our partners got on well and we started having family days out together.
In 2014 Claire got the all clear from the breast cancer, her hair grew back – like a frizz ball to start with, then she tamed it and it looked beautiful – we always joked about her curly locks! July 2014 and my bestest friend moved to Bath – 4 hours away from me – i was devastated as I didn’t have my buddy to hang around with daily. Claire was no longer just a friend – she was my little sister.
Little did i know that was nothing compared to her tragic news of Xmas 2014 – Claire had been suffering with migraines and feeling “off” , She informed me she had brain and lung cancer – how could that be – she was only 31!!! As strong and brave as ever, Claire was determined to beat this thing – she lost her hair so quickly due to the super strong chemo and radiotherapy she was having all at once. Little did i know the next time I would see her would be my last – February 4th. She left us on the morning of February 5th 2015.
Claire was a fighter , she was strong, brave and inspirational – and this is the reason this auction means so much to me.
Throughout it all Macmillan were a huge source of support to her and I thank them for that. We all know someone who has had, who is fighting or has passed away to this dreadful disease. Please please please dig deep for this amazing charity – so they can continue to support families across the country going through exactly the same thing.
When Marie started this, she planned one small auction, and had a target of £300 – that auction ran in March, and she has now already raised over £2,500. This weekend she’s running another auction, with many more gifts donated by friends, businesses and a number of authors and publishers who have been happy to offer their support. I’m posting this on Being Anne not only because I very much support her efforts on behalf of this wonderful charity in memory of Claire, but also because there are a number of wonderful book related lots you might directly appeal to you.
The first batch of 25 lots ends on Saturday at 7pm, and includes books signed by Mark Billingham, Rachel Khoo, Chris Mooney, Lynda Renham, Marcus Sedgwick, Isabel Woolf, Jane Fallon and Graeme Simsion, as well as lovely book-related jewellery items from Poetic Pieces and a beautiful His and Hers book fold from Melody Makes. Then at 8pm on Saturday, Marie will be listing the next batch of lots, including more signed books and book-related items.
Please, if you have the opportunity, pay Marie’s auction pages on Facebook a visit – as well as supporting this wonderful charity, you will have the opportunity to find some absolutely lovely book-related items being auctioned for the cause. Thank you!
Every small donation counts – if you’d like to contribute a small amount rather than bidding on a lot, please visit Marie’s Just Giving page. It’s being a little temperamental, so if you encounter a “something went wrong” message, just click “follow link”.