"We all miss her, and this is one of the many ways we keep her memory alive."
On Christmas Eve in 2002, Misha's daughter, Posy, sadly and unexpectedly died of blood cancer. Posy was a positive person and a talented actress, who will always be remembered by her family. Misha and her granddaughter are kindly donating money from their book to help beat blood cancer.
“Go on Mum. You can do it.” As I sit down to write this blog, I can hear my daughter’s voice in my ear. Posy was a great one for encouraging people. She was such a positive person who believed everyone had a talent, they just had to find it.
She herself was a talented actress, who was on the verge of making a film, when she died totally unexpectedly of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She was 31 years old, happily pregnant and on the verge of a great career.
Posy sadly passed away on Christmas Eve in 2002. We left the hospital in total shock. No one knew what to do next. The house was ready for Christmas, the food was ready, and the presents were packed.
Then Posy’s partner suggested we go ahead with our plans, because Posy loved parties. She loved being with people and celebrating. So that is what we did. We toasted to her and her baby and we told stories about all the crazy and whacky things she did.
We did it again for what would have been her fiftieth birthday, and we’ll do it this year, and every year to come.
I think of her and talk to her every day.
Posy is a part of my life and part of our family. A daughter, sister, partner, and for the grandchildren who never met her, their ‘Auntie Posy’.
Posy
Like Posy, my granddaughter Maddy loves books and telling stories. I used to teach English, and during lockdown, I did lessons with Maddy on Skype. Every Friday, we had ‘story time,’ which was our favourite session.
I told Maddy stories about Poppy and Amelia – two ordinary schoolgirls who developed magical powers. They had to learn how to use them and made many mistakes along the way. Maddy soon stepped in with her ideas, including naming the characters and the adventures they would have.
I told her I’d make an eBook for her with our stories, but she wanted a ‘proper book’ with her picture on the back.
How could I resist?
In time for Maddy’s ninth birthday in November, ‘The Awesome Adventures of Poppy and Amelia’ was published by Penkhull Press.
A keen Harry Potter fan, Maddy set her sights on a series leading to a feature film. I, having had my children’s books Indie published, was more realistic.
On a long sunny walk in my local park, I had one of those moments that happen when you’ve lost someone you love. I was thinking about Posy and it was as if she said to me right then and there, that the thing to do was to donate the money from the book.
And who better to donate it to than Blood Cancer UK?
Maddy, though she had never known her Auntie Posy, was in complete agreement and the support we’ve had for the project has been amazing.
Over the years, since losing Posy, treatment for all forms of blood cancers has come a long way. Donations from Blood Cancer UK have helped with the research and we hope that the money we raise from ‘The Awesome Adventures of Poppy and Amelia’ will mean that other families won’t have to go through what we did that Christmas Eve.
Losing someone to blood cancer is hard, but there is help and support out there. You’ve only got to reach out.
Above all, talk about and remember all the good times you had – as we do with Posy. We all miss her, and this is one of many ways we keep her memory alive.
If you've lost someone you love, it's important to remember that you are not alone. Our support team will always be here for you. We also have a wonderful and supportive forum, where you can talk to others who have lost a loved one to blood cancer.
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