Carole and Hollie’s Story

Jimmy has shared the story of his partner Gem's beloved sister Hollie and mum Carole.

"My partner Gem and I met in January 2019, I remember one of the first questions I asked on our first date was who would she call if she needed to get something off her chest, and she told me about her older sister Hollie.

Hollie, like Gem was a physio, she’d actually inspired Gem to take that career path.

They'd grown up in the Middle East and since being back in the UK had remained very close along with their younger brother Oliver and mum Carole.

A couple of months later Hollie had a seizure after suddenly being unable to formulate a sentence while with a patient during a shift at the hospital she worked at. This was eventually diagnosed as a grade 4 GBM.

Hollie had surgery and rounds of chemo and entry into a clinical trial for immunotherapy, in which unfortunately she was in the control group of, all in the midst of Covid lockdowns. Hollie had to move back in with Carole at the family home, but shortly afterwards Carole was diagnosed with terminal cancer and they spent 2020 looking after each other in the midst of recurring lockdowns.

In February 2020 Gem and I found out we were expecting a baby, and Gem broke the news to Auntie Hollie and Granny Carole.

Hollie’s 41st birthday was on October 21 but unfortunately she didn’t get to celebrate and passed away at home surrounded by family on the 4th of October. Baby Vale arrived amazingly on what was his Auntie’s birthday, October 21, and we see her in him every day.

Vale got to meet his Grandma Carole, but sadly she passed away a few weeks later again at home surrounded by family.

Vale would have loved to meet his Auntie Hollie and we know with certainty she would have been an amazing Auntie."