A CHARITY trek by two friends has raised two thousand pounds for the region’s Children’s Ward in memory of a Dumfries teenager.
Hannah Graham and Lauren Galloway tackled the 96.5 miles of The West Highland Way in five days to honour Brooke Jardine, who very sadly passed away in October 2019 after a near nine year battle with cancer.
Hannah, 21, from Dumfries, said: “I was Brooke’s personal assistant at school, and a close friend.
“I really wanted to do something in memory of Brooke, because I had a great time working with her and obviously she meant a lot to me as well.”
Brooke was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2011 at the age of 6. In the following years Brooke underwent several operations and chemotherapy, with Hannah supporting her latterly during her schooling.
Hannah met Lauren, from Strathmiglo in Fife, at university.
Lauren said: “We met at uni and Hannah obviously told me everything about Brooke – and automatically we felt that this was something that we wanted to do in memory of Brooke.”
“It was a mixture of camping and on some days we had to put ourselves up in a wee hostel because the rain was horrific, but we did it in five days in memory of Brooke.”
Smiling as she recalls the undertaking last August, Hannah said: “It was 96-and-a-half miles, and that last half is important because we felt it – it was the worst half mile.”
Brooke’s mum Kirsty and sister Skye visited Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary (DGRI) recently to see the presentation of the cheque for £2000 to the Children’s Ward.
Kirsty, who works within the hospital’s Pharmacy Department, said: “I was honoured that Hannah wanted to do this challenge in the first place.
“Brooke spent a lot of time in the Children’s Ward and felt very much at home there, so to raise money for other children to come here and have good experiences means a lot.”
A decision has yet to be made on how the monies raised will be used to benefit children’s visits to the ward.
However, with a view to the attractive outdoor garden area, Hannah said: “We thought musical instruments for the garden, because Brooke loved her music.”
Gina McKune is Deputy Charge Nurse on the Children’s Ward at DGRI.
She said: “The kindness is just incredible. We just loved Brooke and her family so much, and I was very fond of Brooke.
“And Brooke would have loved what Hannah and Lauren have done.”
Backing that, Kirsty said: “She’d have been spurring you on.”
“She was the most brave and courageous little girl ever, who just didn’t let her illness define her. She just got on with life.”
Kirsty also pays tribute to what Hannah and Lauren have achieved.
She said: “Hannah’s a very close friend of ours, back to before she was working with Brooke and met Skye through horse-riding.
“For Hannah and Lauren to even want to do this in the first place is incredible, and we’re so proud of them.”
