A 24-year-old man from Welling has created a Facebook group to support those coping with grief after he lost his mum to brain cancer.
In 2017, at the age of 18, Ben Tippett lost his 41-year-old mum, Laura, to brain cancer.
At first, Ben and his three younger brothers, Tom, Max, and Jack, thought his mum suffered a stroke, but after a CT and MRI scan, results found it was a brain tumour.
Ben, who is now 24 and works as an IT technician for the NHS, has created a Facebook page dedicated to members of the public who need support after losing loved ones to cancer.
The Lost But Not Forgotten Facebook page has 75 members and counting, with Ben aiming to have 1,000 like-minded members by the end of June.
Ben told the News Shopper: “I want the Facebook page to be a happy place for people to come whenever they need a shoulder to cry on.
“The whole process from mum being sick was around a year – it was long-drawn out.
“I had to take time off work and my mental health wasn’t the best.
“At the time, my brother Tom was 14, my brother Max was 12 and my youngest brother Jack was only 10.
“It was a tough time.”
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Ben says he had a great support system after he lost his mum, as his nan and grandad, auntie, girlfriend, and his younger brothers were there every step of the way.
Following Tom Parker’s battle with cancer, Ben was inspired to create the page to encourage people to share their stories in a safe and comforting environment.
Ben added: “Lost But Not Forgotten is a page where people can be themselves and open up to one another.
“It’s a way for people to express their thoughts, talk and help each other.
“I want to help people that may be in a similar situation to me.
“My goal for this group is to have 1,000 members by the end of June and 5,000 by the end of the year.
“I want us to be one massive family, beating cancer one person at a time.”
In order to spread the word of the Facebook page, Ben has been receiving support from friends and family across Welling, as well as creating merchandise – such as business cards and t-shirts – to support the organisation.
Ben says he wants to promote Lost But Not Forgotten as much as possible and will soon be creating events for people to meet their fellow members in person.
Ben added: “I really want to help as many people as possible.
“I’d love to have £5,000 donated to Macmillan by the end of the year and have included the GoFundMe link on the page.
“Macmillan helped my mum throughout the last stages of her life, so it would be great to raise money for the charity in support of further research.”
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