Siobhan's Story: Fund a Nurse Appeal
“My mum was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer in 2013. She spent eight years fighting to live as long as she could.
Facing terminal illness does give you a different perspective on what is really important. You focus on the every day, being loving and happy. We were already a very close family, but it means you don’t argue about the small things any more.
Mum adored her family, and spending time in her garden, and with the help of the Hospice, we took each day at a time, making the most of those everyday things. One of the biggest things the Hospice helped with was managing mum’s pain. In the last couple of years Mum used a wheelchair because of her pain levels as the cancer had spread. It made things like walking and going up and down the stairs very hard. It affected most things we did, but the Hospice showed us there is always a way to improve things and to make it easier for your loved one.
We were referred to the Hospice’s occupational therapy team who helped us with equipment for the house. These things helped mum manage day to day and helped keep things as normal as possible.
Hannie, the nurse who visited mum at home, gave us so much support. She helped us so much with mum’s medication and managing her pain, making sure mum had everything she needed. We knew we could talk to her about anything. The Hospice nurses are always there when you need them. The team are there for the whole family, not just mum. It was brilliant for me, they always asked how I was doing too. I knew that I could ring with any concerns at any time of the day or night.”
