‘Christmas will be difficult this year’ says mum ahead of charity walk to remember daughter Rebecca

A FAMILY preparing for their first Christmas without their “kindhearted” daughter are backing Ashgate Hospice this winter in tribute to the end-of-life care she received.

- By TELEGRAPH REPORTER

Rebecca Wright's family has dedicated a Light up a Life star in her memory and paid tribute to her at a poignant lantern procession and remembrance ceremony at the hospice yesterday.

The Light Up a Life procession and ceremony offers a chance to remember together and shine a light for those they miss at a difficult time of year.

Rebecca, from Buxton, was initially diagnosed with urachal cancer - a rare cancer of the umbilical cord that affects one in every million people - in 2020, when she was just 25.

After manifesting through her bladder, she had a tumour removed in December 2020 and went into remission until October 2024 when she started experiencing back pain.

A tumour was found on both her adrenal glands and despite undergoing gruelling rounds of treatment, it spread to other parts of her body, including her brain.

Rebecca was admitted to Ashgate Hospice’s Inpatient Unit not long after her 30th birthday and received “second-to-none” care before her death on March 25 this year.

Her mum, Clare Hoggins, 56, from Tunstead Milton in the High Peak, is encouraging others to join the Light Up a Life ceremony and procession after “Ashgate gave a sense of calm in a world that was crumbling down in front of our eyes”.