Grieving mother wants to set up a rural cancer retreat

A grieving mother who lost her son to a rare cancer at the age of just 19 said she hopes to create a rural retreat 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” would be made.

Ms Midgley, a make-up artist, plans to raise £1.7 million to open Jordan’s Retreat, a centre for families suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

Located in the Yorkshire Dales, the refuge would have cottages, animals and therapeutic activities to help with grief or provide a break from caring for a sick child.

Speaking to BBC Radio York, Ms Midgley explained that Jordan’s cancer started with “pain in his side”.

“When he had it, I knew it was something terrible. I just had this terrible gut feeling,” she said.

A scan and further tests revealed that Jordan was suffering from synovial sarcoma, which Ms Midgley described as “quite fatal”.

He died a year after his diagnosis.

Mrs Midgley, who has two older sons, said: “I am very close to all my boys and Jordan was my youngest.

“We had a very special relationship. I worried about him more than the others, it was as if I knew I only had him for a short time.”

She described her son as an “amazing, compassionate, true gentleman” who was “the joker of the group.”

When Jordan realized he might be dying, he confided to his mother his wish for families to have a place surrounded by nature where they could spend time together.

“We tried to do this when Jordan was in remission, but two charities turned us down because he wasn’t in active treatment,” Ms Midgley continued.

“I think it had a detrimental effect on him.

“He loved animals, he loved nature. That’s how Jordan’s Retreat was born.”

Ms Midgley said the withdrawal should be “like a big hug”.

“The morning I left the hospital after Jordan died, I never heard from anyone again,” she said.

“You are navigating a life you no longer know, and you cannot go back to your old life, which no longer exists.”

The center offers workshops and treatments such as yoga, massages and make-up courses.

The residents there could take care of alpacas, goats and chickens.

She hopes that celebrity clients she has worked with over the years, including the cast of Emmerdale, will support her vision of establishing the charity in memory of her child.

“Jordan would be proud,” she added.

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