A little over a week ago, at the age of 53, my uncle Phil lost his fight to cancer. He spent two years knowing that he was fighting an incurable condition, and still, he powered through and remained the kind, funny, gentle soul he had always been. While he was a no-fuss, reserved man, the people he loved had the privilege of experiencing the incredible aura of warmth and affection that surrounded him. He always cheekily liked to tease and say he was “my favourite uncle”, I his “nièce préférée”, and claim he had finally won me over. It’s hard to grasp the death of a close one, and it’s still difficult for me to understand that I’ll never receive another surprise London visit/dinner, that I won’t be permanently damaging my ears by accompanying hit to another last-minute rock concert or that we won’t be hearing his deep laugh at the next family function.
In sickness and in health, we all seek support and compassion, and while I found comfort and laughter in the many dog-related pictures and tweets he would send me (he knew they made me so genuinely happy), I know he found solace in his support group. ‘We Get It’ gave Phil a place to put his experience into words, share it with others and ultimately start to come to terms with it.
Uncle Phil was a runner. I remember visiting him in the Caribbean and hearing him dip out for his (very) early morning run with the dog. It had to be done before it got too hot to even fathom walking down the road ! He ran all the important marathons, and I’m always quite proud to say he managed to run at least one on every continent - even the frozen one. ;)
And so, in May, I’ll be joining the rest of my family and honouring my Uncle Phil by running / walking 100k to support We Get It and help them help others. I am definitely not about to become a marathon-runner but running has helped me cope with the sadness of his loss and is definitely a great way to remember him.
