Heartache for Monty over death of mother

Published on Saturday 21 March 2009 18:34

GOLFER Colin Montgomerie has spoken out about his heartache over the loss of his mother to cancer, 18 years after her death.

Elizabeth Montgomerie, who was her son's inspiration on the golf course, died aged 53 shortly after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

He told Scotland on Sunday of the emotional turmoil he still felt every Mother's Day, and his desire to help other families suffering from cancer through a new charity he has established.

Named after his mother, the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation's first campaign will be to raise 3.2m for a new Maggie's Centre to support cancer patients and their relatives.

He said: "I remember the moment the word 'cancer' was mentioned as if it was yesterday. We knew she was ill but we didn't know how ill, and then the word 'cancer' was mentioned and of course you think the worst, which is unfortunately what we got."

Although Elizabeth died in 1991, Montgomerie said Mother's Day was still a particularly poignant time of year for him.

He said: "I go into shops and see Mother's Day cards and think, 'I don't buy them any more,' although I quickly realise that I do because I have teenage children. Doing that for them and not me always brings me a sadness, a sense of loss."

He has chosen to support the Maggie's Centre because they look after patients' families and give them guidance on how to cope after cancer, as well as making sufferers as comfortable as possible.

After visiting the Maggie's Centre in Dundee, Montgomerie said: "It would be impossible to walk out of there as the same person who walked in. The care for the patients, the expertise and the trust are key because sometimes you don't get that in major hospitals."

The new centre will be built at Monklands Hospital near Airdrie in Lanarkshire, where 3,500 people a year are diagnosed with cancer.