An Angus woman who lost over two stones in a slimming challenge has raised £875 for the cancer ward that cared for her mother.
Following the death of her mother last year at the age of 57, chip shop worker Melanie McCombie (36), from Grange Place, Arbroath, decided she needed a task to focus her attention away from her grief.
She said, “It was a shock because we just found out before Christmas that she had cancer, but at that stage we didn’t know what kind. It wasn’t until the week before she passed away that the doctors told us it was lung cancer that had spread to her arm.
“In the end it just took over and I think she just gave up at that point. It all happened very quickly.”
Melanie said staff on Ward 32 at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee were “amazing” and made her as comfortable as possible in her final months.
“They were fantastic with my mother when she was there,” she said. “Nothing was too much trouble for them and that is why I wanted to do something to raise money.
“The staff were very good and very honest from the start. They would tell us everything straight and wouldn’t fill us with any false hope.”SpurredThrough exercise and healthy living classes, Melanie has gone from 17st 11lb to 15st 2lb over the last 17 weeks, spurred on by donations from regular customers.
She added, “A lot of the customers know me so they all chipped in, but it was great to see that so many people donated just from seeing the collection box sitting there. It’s a good feeling to know I have done it and I am trying to keep it up by exercising every day.
“My next project is going to be the Moonwalk in Edinburgh for breast cancer. It helps to have a target and it seems to help my mind if I have something to focus on.”
Melanie was at Ward 32 on Tuesday to hand over the proceeds of her efforts to staff. All of the money raised has gone towards providing toiletries and other items to make patients’ stay more comfortable.
Senior charge nurse Alison Inglis said, “Melanie has done extremely well in her slimming challenge and has raised a lot of money for comfort items for patients and relatives.
“These little things like toiletries and tea sets make a big difference to people in the ward and we are very grateful to Melanie for her donation.”