“It felt like a part of me was taken away”
I’m Vinnie, a chef from Hertfordshire. I’ve been a chef for eight years working in fine dining. I have a 2-year-old son called Theo Oliver Hardy who shares his middle name and birth month with Robbie, my brother who passed away from cystic fibrosis when I was 16.
My brothers Wayne and Robbie both had CF and were in and out of hospital constantly when we were younger. I never really got to know Wayne as he died when I was young, but I have lots of memories of my brother Robbie. We would always make spaghetti bolognese together and he’d add something different in every time - but it always worked! He was really proud of his spag bol and I enjoyed eating it and cooking with Robbie. Another memory is how Robbie used to always order Nando's when I visited him in hospital, we would order loads of halloumi and sit in his room while playing FIFA.
Their passing impacted me a lot; with Wayne I always wondered what had happened and what cystic fibrosis was. Growing up seeing Robbie go through it all made me learn a lot about CF and I never really understood what it was like until I saw what he went through. As a younger brother it wasn’t nice to see or know that he was suffering or in pain.
His death caused me a lot of anxiety in life because I didn’t know how to react. I was so shocked as it happened unexpectedly; I was 16 at the time living with Robbie and it broke me into pieces. It felt like a part of me was just taken away and I felt empty.
I tried multiple things to try get through the grief at such a young age, and in the kitchen is where I found that part of me that helped me focus and take my mind off things. Robbie and Wayne both loved to cook and that’s when I realised that becoming a chef is what I wanted and what they wanted to do.
It felt like a part of me was just taken away and I felt empty
Vinnie
Cystic Fibrosis Trust means a lot to me as the charity is doing so much to research for better medicines and treatments for everyone with CF. By supporting the Trust I want to help make sure nobody goes through what my family has done, as even today I still have that heartache about losing them.
I would encourage everyone to get involved in Febrewary because you’ll be helping out so many people affected by CF. My top tip for anybody thinking of doing any baking for Febrewary is to make it simple, make it fun and enjoy what you’re doing for this amazing charity. Bake some cookies or make some crumpets; as they all go with a good cup of tea!
Make your cuppa count this FeBrewary! Host a tea party or coffee morning and raise vital funds, so we can continue to be there for everyone with CF.
Remember and celebrate your loved one by sharing a memory and giving a donation to help those affected by cystic fibrosis. Contact our In Memory Officer, Susan, on [email protected] to find out more.
If you are going through a bereavement and would like to talk to someone about it, call our Helpline on 0300 373 1000, or take a look at our bereavement resources.
Join us in FeBrewary
Make your cuppa count this FeBrewary. Host a tea party and raise vital funds, so we can continue to be there for everyone with CF.