I would like to tell you the story of my daughter LYDIA HARING who battled with cancer for three years but unfortunately she died at the age of sixteen on September 9th 2001 at 9.45 on a Sunday morning at home with her family around her.

When she was first diagnosed with bone cancer in her leg her despairing but fighting spirit showed than. She had major surgery to remove the tumour from her knee and replace it with titanium steel. She then received 10 lots of very strong chemotherapy that completely destroyed her immune system. So of course the cancer returned in her lungs and the NHS gave her 6 months to live with even more surgery and chemotherapy. She of course refused the treatment and we were left not knowing what the future held until a couple of friends revealed to us an alternative treatment which my husband and I read into by obtaining books and getting more information from the Internet.

We found out about this hospital in Mexico but of course to go would require a large amount of money, £25,000 in fact to cover the treatment and travelling costs. Where were we going to get that sort of money? So we started up a trust fund organised by three trustees and called it Lydia's Oasis of Hope, which is the name of the hospital in Mexico. The whole community of Chippenham in Wiltshire set about raising money and we raised almost £60,000 from the different events that took place.

We chose Mexico because it was a Christian hospital and being of strong strength we finally arrived. I would like to share with you the treatment that she received but I feel that it would be best for anyone who is interested to visit the Oasis of Hope web site at www.oasisofhope.com.

You may think but she died! We know that her quality of life was so much greater due to the treatment she received in Mexico. Had she not had chemotherapy and surgery her chances of survival were more like 80% instead of 30%. She lived 3 times longer than the NHS diagnosis. In the days up to her death she was bedridden, but she still kept that marvellous strength of character and great power of love towards others even though she was going through pain.

I felt that Lydia had been placed into our lives for sixteen years. One day as I watched a butterfly land on my hand it warmed my heart. Its golden wings trembling its eyes big and bright and as I lifted my hand to let it fly from me. I watched its shining flight until it disappeared. There was a great aching in my heart. Yes it's now been a long time since I let that butterfly go but the aching in my heart remains and will be until I see Lydia again.

CLIC - Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood - offer help and support to children and their families coping with cancer and leukaemia.

Their all-embracing approach means that they can offer:

• homecare nurses;
• accommodation close to oncology centres;
• family care grants;
• play specialist in children's cancer wards;
• crisis breaks;
• teenage support group.

They also fund research projects looking at improving cures and treatments.

CLIC
6 Emma Chris Way
Abbey Wood,
Bristol
BS34 7JU

Tel: 0117 311 2600
Fax: 0117 311 2649

clic@clic-charity.demon.co.uk

www.clic.uk.com