13 ago today, at 4.05pm, on an extremely hot summer afternoon, our world changed forever. It was the beginning of our family of four becoming three. It was the day of Charlotte's Year 11 prom. While her friends were getting ready for an evening of dresses, photographs and celebration, Charlotte was about to be told that she probably had a brain tumour. Earlier that day, she joked that it was probably just as well nobody had asked her to the prom. We would have spent a fortune on a dress and all the trimmings, only for her to be too ill to go. By 4.05pm, we were sitting in a quiet room as doctors explained that her scan had revealed a mass they believed could be a brain tumour. The images would be sent to King's for the opinion of the neurosurgical team. Charlotte was told the scan findings herself. Her first question was one no 16-year-old should ever have to ask: "What treatment is available?" The answer was that it depended on exactly what the lump was. She might need to be transferred to King's. Steroids were started immediately while blood tests were taken and sent away. At 4.05pm, our lives were divided into before and after. Nothing would ever be the same again. Charlotte, was just 19 when she died from a brain tumour on 24th February 2016 10 years ago. In that time: Nothing has changed with the standard NHS chemotherapy Temozolomide licensed back in 1999. Nothing has changed in the standard six-week course of radiotherapy. But one thing has changed: Charlotte’s BAG has raised £396,985.07 directly funding research at Charlotte’s Lab, King’s College Hospital, London We are now only £3,014.93 short of raising £400,000 The big difference with Charlotte's is simple: we self-fund everything. No salaries/overheads/advertising/merchandise If your thinking of donating to a brain tumour charity pop a pound in Charlotte's BAG & support our walk. Please RT With thanks gofundme.com/f/every-mile-fo…

Today is Bereaved Parents Day. But instead of focusing on my own grief, I choose to celebrate the achievements of my now only child Miles. He has carried the weight of loss with quiet strength and determination. From deferring university to be with his sister Charlotte during her illness, to graduating with a First, earning a Master's from Cambridge, and becoming a fully qualified History teacher, his journey has been anything but easy, but he has never stopped moving forward. I will always grieve the loss of my daughter. But today, I honour the strength, resilience, and compassion of the son who walks beside me. Forever a mother of two. charlottesbag.com/