Horse-loving Wigan mum given weeks to live welcomes a special four-legged visitor to the hospice

Horse enthusiast Suzie Valkyrie was given the devastating news that she had terminal pancreatic cancer in November last year and was told she could have up to three years to live.

However, after further tests the 49-year-old’s life expectancy was shortened to just 12 weeks and Suzie moved into Wigan and Leigh Hospice.

It was there Suzie, who hadn’t been near a horse in 14 years, received a special visit from the animal which was organised by life-long friend Michelle Ross.

Michelle said: “I’ve been friends with Suzie for 30 years now, we met when we were neighbours, we gelled straight away.

"We’re both into horses and both had young children in the same school so became inseparable.

"We were more like sister, her mum took me into the family fold.

"Unfortunately, Suzie had a bit of a bad time when she lived in Northamptonshire and felt the need to move away.

"She first went to Bolton before later moving to Hindley in 2009.

"We’ve always kept in touch and kept saying we’ll have a catch-up and life kept getting in the way.

"Then in late November Suzie contacted me via Facebook messenger asking me to call her, preferably FaceTime asap.

"I messaged her back promising to call her later that day.“I did call to be met with Suzie saying there is no easy way to say this so I will just say it as it is – I have pancreatic cancer and I am terminal.

"Suzie was and always will be an avid equestrian girl and sadly due to other debilitating medical conditions was told many years ago she could not ride again. “As I run a very large Facebook page, I put a plea out asking if there were any members of the page who were in the Hindley area.

"Immediately a young lady called Gemma Almond messaged the page and asked how she could help, so I explained I wanted someone with a very well behaved horse to take the horse to the hospice so that Suzie could be with a horse once more.

"Gemma kindly agreed to do it out of her own pocket and transported her horse there.

"We arranged for her friend and one of her sons to be there to wheel Suzie out and get her surprised

“She was overjoyed, I phoned her that night and she was like a child and told me how she hadn’t washed her hand yet!”

Michelle and Suzie’s other friend Wendy have also set up a Gofundme page to help her sons Daniel and Jamie with funeral costs when the time comes.

Michelle said: “Me and Wendy have been doing all we can.

"Suzie is deteriorating in front of our eyes.

"The 12 weeks she was given is up soon and I feel like she hasn’t got long left.

"We wanted to give back and help her sons carry on her legacy.”

To donate to the Gofundme page visit: gofundme.com/f/funeral-costs-for-suzie-valkyrie