Ambulance worker raises £500 for hospital charity in memory of ‘selfless’ sister
Louisa Cross, a 44-year-old Emergency Medical Technician, decided to fundraise after her younger sister, Lisa Pidgeon, passed away of a rare form of cancer, called sarcoma, in 2019.
Only 36-years-old, Lisa was happy-go-lucky and loved to party. A single mum, she was ‘selfless’ and worked hard to provide for her son, explained Louisa.
She said: “She did a brilliant job.
“She made sure her son had everything he needed and gave him the best upbringing.”
Not wanting to know how long she had left, Lisa managed to see her son’s 18th birthday before passing away, a personal goal of hers.
Older sister, Lindsey, wrote a short poem for Lisa which was to be affixed to a star previously sponsored for the charity campaign:
“Our star was born here and shines brightly every day. Lisa, keep lighting up lives like you had never been away. X”
Alongside long-term school buddy and family friend, Sarah Vickers, who works in Next, Louisa plans to participate in a sponsored silence on 14 December, lasting 24 hours.
The pair, who were known at school for being loud, chatty, and mischievous, will be visiting spots around Edlington and Sprotbrough wearing t-shirts to explain they are doing a sponsored silence.
Sarah, who has known Louisa since she was three, joked: “Everyone says we can’t do it.”
“But I’ve even printed a sign for the postman if he comes on the day saying I’m doing a sponsored silence.”
Louisa plans to fundraise for the ‘Our Shining Stars’ campaign every year, she said.
“I’m based at Doncaster, so it means I get to see the star and be reminded of Lisa.”
One of many campaigns run by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity, the Our Shining Stars campaign sees tens of star-shaped illuminations hoisted and fixed to the exterior of the three hospital sites in the Trust: Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Bassetlaw Hospital and Montagu Hospital.
Sponsors for the stars include local families, individuals, schools and a wide variety of local businesses.
In just two years, this festive campaign has raised an incredible £60,000 for hospital services – money which will be reinvested into patient care, treatment, facilities. This money helps fund projects which help colleagues go above and beyond for patients, their families and to support our own colleagues, some of which cannot be funded by the NHS alone.
To donate to Louisa’s fundraiser, follow this link to JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sarah-vickers14?utm_source=copyLink&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=sarah-vickers14&utm_campaign=pfp-share&utm_term=54acab59aa264c8ab09ee2f691afdf0a
To find out more about fundraising for Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity, please visit the charity website: www.dbthcharity.co.uk
