Adrienne shares her memories of her Dad, Colin. After his diagnosis of oesophageal cancer, he was cared for on the In-Patient Ward.
“From the start, the Hospice was where my Dad wanted to be. The plan was for him to come to Hospice Day Service, but he became very unwell very quickly, so he was admitted to the In-Patient Ward.
He was my best friend. I know that might sound silly, he was my dad, but he was my best friend too and I’ll always remember him that way.
I have so many memories of Dad. He was just so kind, and very caring. He was very particular – he had Asperger’s, but it was only diagnosed later on in his life. So, everything he did had a certain way about it. He could tell you if you wanted something from the tool shed, it would be on the left-hand corner in the third box. Things like that.
When he came to the Hospice from hospital, we had Jasper, the puppy, and we brought him in so Dad got to meet him. It was the most amazing thing. Dad actually cried the first time he met Jasper. We felt that was a really happy moment for him. If it hadn’t been possible to bring him in, Dad would never have met him. But also, someone would have always had to stay at home with Jasper.
My dad hated having a beard, and so one of the last things I did for my Dad was to give him one last shave. I brought a dish and razor and flannel in. He was very particular about who touched him, but I was able to do that for him.
He was very creative, and I get most of my creativity from my dad. We would often do things together. When he became too unwell, I put everything into one notebook. Any poems I’d written I put in one book, and we’d sit and go through it. Poems I’d written when I was six years old, up until recently. Writing about how I’ve felt has helped me in so many ways.
On the day he passed away, there was a giant bumble bee by the window. It just wouldn’t fly away. So, whenever I see a bee now, I think of him.”
