'Highland Hospice helped create precious memories with my mum,' says Strictly Inverness dancer
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A Strictly Inverness dancer is keen to do as much as she can to repay Highland Hospice for the precious memories it helped create during the final weeks of her mum's life.
The charity helped transform Joan Mackay's in-patient room into a wedding anniversary venue, massage parlour and even a tattoo studio for her to get matching body art with her daughter Shireen Fyffe – a first for the hospice.
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As part of giving back to the cause, Shireen applied for the annual dance event, where all 32 rookie dancers are generating cash for its organisers and hosts, the hospice and Inverness Ice Centre, while also learning to dance ahead of showtime in May.
"I am doing Strictly in memory of my mum," said the 30-year-old, of Inverness. "She was cared for by the hospice in 2022 and spent the last five months of her life, with her husband Jack, there. She was told she had a soft tissue sarcoma in December 2020, it came after she overcame cervical cancer in 2008.
"Knowing that my mum was in her last stages of her life, the hospice helped create precious memories with my mum that I wouldn’t have been able to create at home. So with a little bit of imagination and a willingness to tailor things to an individual’s needs, hospice staff helped us to turn mum's room into a tattoo studio, a baby sensory class, a massage parlour, a steak restaurant, an afternoon tea party, a wedding anniversary venue, a sports viewing platform, an arts room, a nail bar, a crèche, a cinema, a pet therapy base, and so much more, ensuring lots of fun and laughter.
"So when I look back at our time at the hospice it makes me smile, I don't have sad memories at all. When I think about the people at the hospice, it doesn't make me sad, even though I might have a teary eye – they are all amazing.
"I want to fundraise for the hospice to make my mum proud. She will be having a good laugh as she knows I’m not a dancer!
"I know how much the hospice has helped our family, I want to ensure that I am always giving back to the hospice because it is such a Highland asset."
Partnered with Jason Kelman, from Inverness, they will be learning a Charleston and a quickstep, as well as a team dance with seven other couples who are performing on the Thursday evening of the contest.
"I certainly never saw myself doing something like this but I’m both nervous and excited to enjoy the experience," Shireen said.
The careers adviser for Skills Development Scotland, who is based at Invergordon Academy, has several fundraising events coming up:
- Kids fun afternoon, February 11, Fyrish Gymnastics Centre
- Clothes swish, February 24, Inverness Ice Rink
- Football tournament, March 23, Inverness Royal Academy all-weather pitch
She has the support of the LUMP podcast which has been made possible thanks to the support of Alison McRitchie and the team at The Head Gardener in Inverness. The podcast is aimed at anyone who’s been impacted by cancer.
"My family and I will be raising money for the Highland Hospice in as many ways as we can," added Shireen, who is married to Sean and they have a son called Zach (2). "So far we have zip-lined off the Kessock Bridge, bought a Hospice Highland Coo at auction which now lives in my garden and took part in Catwalk for a Cause last year, which raised £74,500 in total for the hospice."
