As she watched the sun go down on the last evening of her Greek holiday, Tracey van Alphen-Read felt it was setting on her life too.
The big-hearted community care nurse had witnessed so much grief and anguish during Covid she yearned for a new role supporting patients facing the end of their days.
Yet, as she watched the final rays of sunshine sink below the horizon that night in October 2021, mum-of-one Tracey was aware her own mortality also hung in the balance.