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Sarah’s story: Honouring her dad’s memory through the Guts UK Memory Garden
This spring, we’re thrilled to launch our online Guts UK Memory Garden.
The Memory Garden is a special place to remember and honour someone you love. For each tribute created, a flower will blossom in the Memory Garden, bearing the name of your loved one, gradually creating a beautiful landscape of remembrance made up of all the tributes shared.
Each flower in the Memory Garden links to its own personal plot, where family and friends can share messages, memories and reflections, celebrating the life of someone special. Donations made in their memory help the flowers to grow and bloom, creating a lasting tribute. The Memory Garden can be revisited at any time, with additional tribute messages added to mark special occasions.
The Memory Garden is open to anyone who wants to pay tribute to a loved one, whether they have an existing connection to our charity or are supporting Guts UK for the first time. All donations help fund the vital work of Guts UK, supporting the millions of people in the UK affected by digestive conditions and symptoms.
Guts UK supporter, Sarah, from High Wycombe has dedicated a flower in memory of her dad, Charlie, who died of pancreatitis in November 2024, just days after being admitted to hospital. Sarah’s heartfelt tribute message reads:
“Thank you for being the best dad. You are missed every minute of every day. I miss your voice, your smile, your laugh. You will always remain in my heart.”
Talking about why she wanted to support the Guts UK Memory Garden, Sarah said:
“Instead of funeral flowers, we raised money for Guts UK. We wanted to do something that would make a difference and something Dad would have been proud of. Since then, we’ve continued to fundraise for Guts UK through birthdays, family events, and my aunt’s 70th party. We even held it at one of Dad’s favourite pubs. The Memory Garden is a fitting tribute to the best dad, and it’s a fantastic way to keep his memory alive, with personal messages and memories from the cherished times we shared.”
Sarah’s in memory story
“Dad was Maltese. He came to England in his twenties and met my mum not long after arriving. They were married for over fifty years. They did everything together, right down to working in the same greeting cards factory.
In 2022, I remarried, and Dad walked me down the aisle at our wedding in Devon. It was such a beautiful weekend with all our family there, and I’ll be forever grateful we had that moment together.
He was just one of those people everyone loved. He was fun, generous, and kind-hearted, and was always doing things for others. I’d come home and he’d have mowed my lawn, and he always helped with DIY projects.
Dad was absolutely fine the day before he fell ill in November 2024; he was decorating his kitchen. The next evening, he had some stomach pains after dinner. They must have been bad because he went to bed, which isn’t like him.
He thought it was something he’d eaten, but the pain got worse. My mum suggested going to hospital, but Dad didn’t want to make a fuss. Eventually, she persuaded him, and they went to A&E.
At first, the doctors thought it might be a blocked gallstone, and they were going to x-ray him on Monday because it was the early hours of Sunday morning. Just hours later, he was moved to intensive care.
The following day, we were told he was stable, and he was moved to a ward later that day. The next morning, everything changed. Dad called me, sounding breathless, and said he felt blocked up. Shortly after, the hospital rang to say he’d been moved back to intensive care.
When we arrived, they took us to a side room and told us he was critically ill. That’s when we first heard the words ‘necrotising acute pancreatitis’. We didn’t even know what that meant. They explained that his pancreas had died and that his organs were starting to fail. It was an unbelievable shock; we had no idea something like this could happen so suddenly.
Unfortunately, his organs kept shutting down. The doctors told us there was nothing more they could do. We were all with him when he passed. They didn’t even need to turn off the machines, he slipped away on his own, peacefully, surrounded by all of us.”
Plant a flower in tribute to someone specialRead more posts...
Guts UK supporter, Victoria, plants first flower in our brand new Memory Garden
We’re thrilled to launch our online Memory Garden and invite you to create a tribute in memory of your loved one in support of Guts UK, the national charity for the digestive system. The Memory...
