IN LOVING MEMORY: Keith Murray (left) who is organising a darts competition in memory of his wife Sharon and also raise funds for Macmillan Nurses.
KEITH Murray has competed in darts competitions up and down the country for the best part of 30 years but the next one will be the most important of the lot - a tournament in memory of his beloved wife Sharon.
While the former Lancashire champion can count two British Open appearances among his highlights of life on the oche, none can compare to the Sharon Murray Grand Prix.
It's a competition he had never planned for or envisaged barely 12 months ago.
For it was a year ago that Sharon was taken to hospital complaining of severe headaches. Within 12 weeks she had sadly passed away after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
"I suppose this is my way of saying goodbye," said Keith who would have been celebrating his 34th wedding anniversary this year. "It's been a time of reflection and closure for me. I have put everything in to organising this competition and it has given me a little bit of comfort knowing I am organising an event where I can highlight the illness Sharon had and also give friends and family their chance to say their farewells."
Keith says the 12 week competition has three main tasks he wants to address.
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Show awareness for the illness that caused Sharon's death and the work done by the Macmillan Cancer Support in particular the nurses. And also allow people who knew Sharon to remember her through the medium of darts and help promote darts in the community.
"Everyone who knows me, knows how important darts is to me. I used to joke that Sharon was a darts' widow but she supported me in everything I did.
"She would travel with me as much as she could to all the tournaments I used to compete in. She was at my side when I took part in the British Open which was very special for me."
The competition begins on the anniversary of when Sharon first complained of feeling unwell. Initial tests at Blackburn Royal Hospital pointed towards a minor stroke after Sharon lost movement in her left side. But when that transferred to her right side as well, Keith insisted on an immediate CT scan.
She was transferred to Preston Hospital for a biopsy and results showed that Sharon had a large tumour on the right side of the brain - a Glioblastoma Muliforme - which, according to Keith, there are no known survivors.
The next couple of weeks were centred on meetings with the Macmillan nurse and waiting at home for the appointment at Preston Rosemere Centre with a consultant.
Keith said: "The doctor said that Sharon would be having 30 treatments of radiotherapy. Over the next few days, I researched everything about Sharon's condition and the treatment she would have. The treatment concerned me because of the physical size of the tumour and the power and amount of radiotherapy they would be using.
"So I asked the doctor to give it to us straight and he said that without treatment, Sharon would be dead within three months and, with it, this would increase to six months." Sharon was fitted with a special mask for the treatment but this caused her to become increasingly distressed.
"Over the course of four weeks I stayed with her 24 hours a day, she would not let my hand go. The steroids and tumour were having a bad effect on her mental condition. Sharon began to get paranoid when the mask was fitted and I got permission to help her in the radiotherapy room.
"On some occasions, when I needed to go home for a few hours to collect post and change clothes, they took her to radiotherapy without me and this only fed her fears.
"She had to be sedated for most of the time to keep her calm."
But Sharon became increasingly paranoid in hospital so Keith took the decision to discharge her.
"We had a week at home when Sharon enjoyed being free from the treatment and medication, we even managed a couple of pub meals.
"But we knew that the tumour had taken its toll."
On April 14, Sharon passed away.
"This was only 12 weeks from first admission and 10 weeks from the biopsy results," said Keith. "My one and only love had gone. This illness and the way it played out has left me without the one person I had dedicated my life for. I am now left to try and see if there is any future for me without my Shaz."
But throughout Sharon's illness, Keith took great solace in the work done by the Macmillan Nurses.
"We can't find cures for these illnesses ourselves but people like me can raise the awareness of the wonderful work Macmillan Nurses do.
"I want to raise as much money as possible so that the Macmillan Nurses can help those who are not as ill as Sharon was." The darts competition, which begins at the Cabin End pub on Thursday, January 10, promises to be one of the most exciting East Lancs as seen.
Keith said the players for the competition have been specially selected and are a mixture of people who new Sharon, young up-and-coming players and of a high standard to make it attractive for supporters to watch.
"It will be exciting and new and everyone who takes part and watches it will thoroughly enjoy it.
"But I am not looking beyond the competition.
"I ask all those who read this account to support the charity and allow my final task for Sharon's memory to have the best impact possible and help the Macmillan Nurses help others with similar problems.
"Life without Sharon is impossible but this is a chance for everyone to remember her and see what darts meant to the both of us."
THE SPONSORS.
Express Gifts, Blackburn & District Darts and Dominoe League, JBS Scaffolding, BS Security, Knuzden, Malcolm Roe, Knuzden, Pauline, Ken and Sammy, Blackburn, Dave Place Roofing Contractor, Blackburn, The Cabin End Pub, Knuzden, A&M Toplay Driveways, Knuzden, Blackburn, Jim Beattie, Oldham, Blackburn Super League, Baldwin Technical Services, Heywood, Savoy Carpets, Blackburn, Marvtech Limited Industrial Controls, Blackburn
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