I Hope Mum's Poems Inspire Others…

When Matthew Ashforde’s mum was diagnosed with leukaemia, he made it his mission to share her poems with the world.

- Katharine Wootton

Sat in a hospital room in total silence, Kate Ashforde and her son Matthew didn’t know what to say. They’d just received the news that Kate had terminal leukaemia and sadly, with nothing else the doctors could do, she had just weeks to live. As Kate broke the silence, she said: “I feel really silly now.” Matthew asked what she meant. “I just don’t want my poems to die with me,” she said, sadly.

For more than 15 years Kate, a former actress and head teacher, had been writing poetry. Many reflected the peace she’d found since recovering from alcoholism, while others documented the joy she found in her retirement adventures, from volunteering in Australia to doing a parachute jump.

Over time, Matthew (48) became aware of just how many poems his mum had written. Matthew and his three sisters tried desperately to persuade her to get them published. But convinced they were not good enough, she refused. That is until that terminal diagnosis turned her world around.