Natasha’s Story – The Creation of Leaf

If this is your first visit to the 60 Postcards site, you might want to check out my Mother’s Day post where I summarise the story so far…..

Hello all and a happy Friday to you!

Today’s post is about a traumatic situation with a positive twist – about an inspirational lady who has set up her own charity in Dorset.

At the end of March I attended a Wimborne Women in Business meeting where I was invited to speak about my 60 Postcards journey. Wimborne Women in Business is a network group set up by the lovely Linda and Juliet, where local business women come together to knowledge share, support and collaborate. Every time I talk about my story I find myself unable to stop my hands shaking a little before I begin, but in this case, the warm inviting smiles around the room made me feel more comfortable than ever. It was great to be able to chat to a few ladies afterwards and in particular, Tash, who I have kept in touch with since.

Tash founded the charity, Leaf (Leukaemia, Educating and Fundraising). The Charity alone is inspirational, but it was when Tash explained the drive behind it that I was blown away even more…..

“Leaf was founded in 2006 from my hospital bed after I was diagnosed with Leukaemia just 3 weeks after giving birth to my second son. After 6 months of chemotherapy and being kept in isolation for this period, I was (and still am) determined to bring something positive out of my experience to help others that have been diagnosed with this disease.

I run the charity with one other lady and we fundraise throughout the year to raise funds to provide blood cancer patients and families in Dorset with emotional and practical support. I have used my experience to put in place the help and care that I felt my family and I would have benefited from at the time of my illness/treatment. We meet each individual and tailor help to suit their needs, from looking after their cherished pets to cleaning their homes, alongside other help such as hospital transport, counselling, wig fitting and much more! We also provide support to the Dorset Cancer Centre within Poole Hospital. We support both children and adults and it is extremely rewarding to make a difference at a time when they really need it!”

Tash with her boys:

Tash’s strength of character is so admirable. And it is fantastic that Leaf offer such a personal touch when providing a support to families – something that so many would be unable to find elsewhere.

I heard from Tash very recently when she was across the globe on a holiday to Dubai with one of her sons. It turns out that my mum had taught her son at Allenbourn Middle School and I was glad to know our families had been linked before we had even met! While Tash was out there she decided to do some scattering of words of her own and had the genius idea of letting off 99 green balloons (with the Leaf logo on) attaching a message about her charity hoping to raise awareness further afield. It made me want to fly out to see if I could find one myself!

Tash is such a wonderful Mum and role model. To come through a situation like that and put her all into helping others is a sure-fire sign that in a world where we seem to be smothered with bad news – there is still hope, inspiration and people can be….well – pretty bloody wonderful.

I can’t wait to meet Tash again soon on my next visit to the South. Leaf are always looking for more people to get involved with volunteering and fundraisers. If you are interested, please contact Tash on info@leafcharity.co.uk or you can visit their website, Facebook page or follow them on twitter.

Have a great weekend and I will be back again next week.

Love, R xx