My wonderful Dad was cared for at home by the Hospice at Home and Clinical Nurse Specialist teams. Dad loved the Hospice team, he and Pippa got on brilliantly chatting about their Scottish roots. He and Mum called them angels.
What people don’t know about St John’s until they come into contact with them is that they look after the whole family. They looked after Dad, Mum and me, whilst also managing to help my children.
The care continued after Dad died with the Hospice team keeping in touch and offering bereavement support. I wasn’t ready for bereavement support at first and like many parents tried to focus all my attention on my children who were missing their Grandad. But then I found myself in a place where I couldn’t move forward.
When I first stepped into the Forget Me Not Centre at St John’s I immediately felt a sense of calm. The weekly counselling sessions and therapies with Jude gave me a safe place to ‘let go’ and not worry about being ‘strong’ or judged by others so I could finally process my grief. Staff there went above and beyond to try and help me with so many things – I’m very grateful.
The best way I can describe St John’s care is being wrapped in a lovely warm blanket. Their care helped take me from a place of darkness to acceptance and light, which is why I am encouraging the community to support the annual Light Up a Life appeal.
Soon I’ll be volunteering for St John’s – I know how important their work is to all whose lives are touched by it. I want to help so other patients and families can experience the care my family did.
Lizzie
