Jackie's Story

Jackie shares the story of her mum, Pat, and how coming together to remember her brought a sense of community that she shares now in our Remembrance Ribbons campaign.

“When I remember my mum, I think of the things she loved and were a key part of her life; her family, her friends, her gardening, and fundraising for the Hospice. The Hospice became a big part of her life over 40 years ago. With a career spent in nursing, my mum knew how Hospice in the Weald could provide the extra support and end of life care that all of us want for our loved ones. In the 1980s mum’s personal experiences combined with her professional knowledge, and she saw the need for local Hospice care more clearly than ever.

She cared for both of her parents-in-law round the clock, as they reached the end of their lives, in the family dining room, unable to be cared for in their own home. My grandparents both died in different settings to those my mum hoped to deliver. She did her best, and she was a fantastic nurse, but she felt the end of their lives could have been more comforting, for them and for us left behind.”

In 2017, Jackie was diagnosed with breast cancer which prompted Pat to be checked, discovering she also had a lump. They sometimes had treatment together in hospital, which brought them even closer. Pat was living in a care home when she died from COVID, with complications from Parkinson’s, in January 2021, and Jackie found the Hospice’s support invaluable at the end of her mother’s life. She explains: “I was fortunate to be with Mum for her last week, and having learned from the Hospice nurses, I ensured she had the best ending with their help. We played her favourite music and talked to her, she knew she was not alone, and she did not suffer.”

I am supporting the Hospice this spring by hanging a Remembrance Ribbon in memory of my mum. Please join me by adding a wonderful ribbon to the trees too.