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The Willow Foundation works with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40, helping them to fulfil uplifting and unforgettable Special Days during the darkest of times. The inspiration for Willow came from one special woman鈥檚 determination to live every moment to the full, despite a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Founded by former Arsenal & Scotland goalkeeper Bob Wilson and his wife Megs, Willow is a lasting memory to their daughter Anna.

Since Bob and his wife, Megs, founded Willow in 1999, supporters of the charity have made it possible for us to create more than 13,000 Special Days for people coping with the turmoil and uncertain future caused by conditions such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, organ failure and motor neurone disease.

Warrick (whose story you hear in the Radio 4 Appeal) was diagnosed with a rare, incurable cancer at just twenty five years old. After months of intense treatment, all he wanted was to spend quality time with his family without the burden of his illness. Willow arranged for him, wife Lisa and their four-year-old son Kyan to spend a day together at Legoland; it was one of their last chances to simply be a normal happy family.

Stephen was born with cystic fibrosis. It is a constant battle every day to fight the illness,

鈥淟iving with cystic fibrosis takes its toll on my whole family, with a daily physio, nebulisers and frequent stays in hospitals it鈥檚 hard to live a normal life. It was wonderful to know I had my Special Day coming up, the photo shoot was a real treat for the whole family and reminded us to take time out as a family to create memories for the future.鈥�

Mahamed was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma shortly after graduating,

鈥淚 had always been healthy and so my diagnosis came as a complete shock; I never expected anything like this. My Special Day was incredible, something that I can tick off of my bucket list and has given me memories that I will cherish forever. Without the support of Willow I would not have been able to move forwards with my life, thank you.鈥�