Mellissa’s obstacle course challenge proves she’s made of tough stuff

A Chorley charity worker has proved she’s made of tough stuff after completing a 12-mile obstacle course in memory of her dad, who enjoyed weekly visits to St Catherine’s Hospice.

Mellissa Hickey, 38, took on the ‘Tough Mudder Full’ challenge in Skipton to raise funds for the hospice in honour of her dad John, who attended Day Therapy there.

Mellissa, who works for Age UK, said: “I was training for six months, doing lots of outdoor running and weights to build my upper body strength. I also watched my diet and cut out bread to make sure I was fit for the challenge.

“I managed 24 of the 27 obstacles – I’d never done anything like this before and it was a fantastic experience; the atmosphere was brilliant.

“I feel like I did my dad proud.”

John Hickey, also from Chorley, had lung cancer and attended Day Therapy at St Catherine’s for around 16 weeks. He accessed the care and support of the hospice’s specialist doctors and nurses during his visits, and enjoyed spending time in the art room and socialising with other patients.

“He really enjoyed his visits to St Catherine’s,” Mellissa explained. “It got him out of the house, and he took part in arts and crafts activities. He did some paintings while he was there, which are very special to us.

“He enjoyed being creative and he was very happy there. I came along with him once and everyone was so friendly.”

John died in April aged 77, after Mellissa had already started training for Tough Mudder Full with her partner Graham Szymanski.

St Catherine’s fundraiser Emma Jacovelli said: “St Catherine’s supports people with life-shortening illnesses and their loved ones in so many ways; from those cared for on our inpatient unit, to people who access the care of our Clinical Nurse Specialists in their own homes, and patients like John who attend Day Therapy each week.

“We really couldn’t continue to provide our specialised palliative and end-of-life care without the continued, amazing support of our communities, so we’d like to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Mellissa and Graham for taking on Tough Mudder Full and helping to raise vital funds for the hospice.”

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