Mandy's fund-raising song wins celebrity support

A Dying Matters supporter has won celebrity backing for a song she recorded with her son to raise funds for the National Council for Palliative Care and Dying Matters.

TV presenter and singer Myleene Klass was so inspired by Mandy and Daniel Paine's song 'Make That Climb' that she recorded a video message for the pair in which she describes their fund-raising effort as “incredible”.

Mandy, a classically trained signer who lives in Littlehampton, Sussex, has the terminal illness Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and needs to use oxygen 24 hours a day. In spite of her significant mobility and health difficulties, she commits to turning the ‘negatives into positives’ on a daily basis by helping others. She is aiming to raise £50,000 for the Dying Matters Coalition, to help improve end of life care for dying people.

'Make That Climb' was recorded following Mandy's 50th birthday in February. She had never dreamt of making it to the age of 50 so decided to celebrate by recording a song as a testament to living life to the full and facing death with an open and positive attitude.

She wrote the lyrics with a friend, while her talented musician son, Daniel, composed the soaring score.

Mandy said: "It’s been an amazing and special experience to write and record a song with my son. I want people to understand that there is always a positive side to every negative and that even with a terminal illness, it’s possible to achieve life-long ambitions and enjoy life."

Eve Richardson, Chief Executive of The National Council for Palliative Care and the Dying Matters Coalition, said: "Mandy is a tremendously brave person, a tireless campaigner and is part of a musically talented family. We can all enjoy Mandy’s song, but also learn from her example, that as a result of talking about dying, we can plan for the care a support we want, where we want at the end of our lives."

To make a donation, please visit Mandy's JustGiving page

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