“We celebrate my dad’s life at every given opportunity and carry his morals within us”

I'm Sophie, a 19-year-old student studying mathematics at the University of Leeds. I grew up in South East London with my twin brother Alfie, who completed the 2024 London Marathon raising money for Cystic Fibrosis Trust. My dad passed away in 2012 at the age of 40, after a lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis. Since then, my family and I have taken every opportunity to spread awareness and fundraise as much as we can for the Trust.

The most optimistic man I've ever encountered

To summarise my dad is quite an impossible task. Paul Harvey was possibly the most optimistic man I've ever encountered. You would never know that he was battling an illness as relentless as CF unless you asked him directly, and even then, he'd still try to palm it off as something significantly less serious than it was. 

As a child, dad was told that he wouldn't live past 21 and wouldn't be able to have children, but he saw this as a challenge and not a limitation. Following this news, he proceeded to have "miracle twins" with his wife, my mum, Sarah Harvey, and live to the age of 40. He played hockey for most of his life, and when his time on the pitch came to an end he became a coach and an umpire, jogging along the sidelines with his oxygen tank strapped to his back. 

His legacy at the hockey club, BBHC, still lives on in both the drinking games he created and through my brother and I who still play there now. He left an everlasting impression on everyone he met, including his nurses at every hospital he was admitted to, his GP and all of his friends and family. 

Everyone that knew dad has nothing but lovely stories and funny anecdotes to share, which never fail to make me smile. Dad didn't let his CF define him, he didn't let it run his life, and this motivates me every day.

We celebrate his life at every given opportunity

Dad unfortunately passed on 18 December 2012, around six months after undergoing a double lung transplant. This had a huge impact on my family, especially due to it being so close to Christmas which is a time that families usually spend together. We continued our usual traditions to try and cope the best we could, but no matter what we did we always felt something was missing. 

The main thing that kept us going was the fact that we knew Dad lived his life to the fullest, and all he wanted was for his kids and the rest of his family to enjoy life as much as he did. We tried our best not to dwell over Dad's passing, instead we celebrate his life at every given opportunity and carry his morals within us, exactly as he would've wanted. To cope, we became such a close-knit family and worked through the grief together, we are still just a close to this day.

Raising awareness and funds

My wish is that the CF community continues to spread awareness by sharing stories. We can work together to continue fundraising and enlightening the world to the struggles that people with CF go through on a daily basis and show the impact donations make to those suffering and their families. As a family tradition, we choose not to send Christmas cards and instead donate this money to the Trust so it can be put to good use and help families similar to us.

Cystic Fibrosis Trust has meant so much to me and my family since Dad passed purely based on their aim to spread awareness, find treatments and support people with CF alongside their families. Over the years, we have participated in many fundraising events including smaller quizzes and fun runs, but also larger events such as a marathon (run by Alfie) and the London to Brighton bike ride (completed by my mum, Sarah). I hope this money can help those living with CF and give them the extra support they deserve.

Share a Christmas Dedication

Remember and celebrate your loved one this Christmas 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.

Make a dedication

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.