Bereaved mum hopes to create rural cancer retreat

Virna Midgley lost her son Jordan to a rare form of cancer when he was only 19 years old

A bereaved mother who lost her son to a rare form of cancer when he was aged just 19 said she hopes to set up a retreat in the countryside for other families in her situation.

Virna Midgley's son Jordan died in 2016 and the teenager, from Kirk Hammerton near Harrogate, told his mother he wanted her to create a place where "lasting memories" were made.

Ms Midgley, a make-up artist, plans to raise £1.7m to open Jordan's Retreat, a centre for families facing life-limiting conditions.

Based in the Yorkshire Dales, the retreat would have cottages, animals and therapeutic activities to help with grief or provide respite from caring for an ill child.

'Gut feeling'

Speaking to BBC Radio York, Ms Midgley explained that Jordan's cancer started with a "pain in his side".

"As soon as he had it, I knew it was something awful. I just had this awful gut feeling," she said.

A scan and tests found that Jordan had synovial sarcoma, which Ms Midgley described as "quite deadly".

He passed away a year after his diagnosis.

Jordan was the youngest of three boys

Ms Midgley, who has two older sons, said: "I’m really close to all of my boys and Jordan was my youngest.

"We had a very special relationship. I worried about him more than the others, it’s like I knew I had him for borrowed time."

She described her son as an "amazing, empathetic, true gentleman", who was "the joker of the pack".

When Jordan realised he might die, he confided in his mother about his wish for families to have somewhere surrounded by nature to spend time together.

"We tried to do that in the time Jordan was in remission, but we were turned down by two charities because he was not in active treatment," Ms Midgley continued.

"I think that had a detrimental effect on him.

"He loved animals, he loved nature. That’s where Jordan’s Retreat was born from."

'Like a cuddle'

Ms Midgley said she wanted the retreat to be "like a big cuddle".

"That morning I left the hospital after Jordan died, I never heard from anybody again," she said.

"You’re navigating a life you no longer know and you can’t go back to your old life, that doesn’t exist anymore."

Workshops and treatments such as yoga, massages and make-up classes would be available at the centre.

Those staying there would be able to care for alpacas, goats and chickens.

She is hoping celebrity clients she has worked with over the years, including the Emmerdale cast, will support her vision to start the charity in her child's memory.

"Jordan would be proud," she added.

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