Last Christmas, one of our patients was desperate to go home to spend the day with her family, but sadly she became too unwell to leave. Instead, we made her day special and brought Christmas to her. Her whole family came in to see her and they enjoyed lunch together. She told us it was the best Christmas she’d had in years.

Turning a person’s last Christmas into a happy memory is a moment that will stay with their family forever — and it’s only possible because of supporters like you.

Today, could I please ask you to consider supporting patients and families affected by life-limiting illness by donating a Gift For Good this Christmas?

• If you could make a gift of £24.00, it could pay for a Christmas dinner for a patient and two family members at our In-Patient Unit.

• A gift of £56.00, could pay for two hours of at-home nursing care, allowing a patient to spend Christmastime at home with their loved ones.

• An outstanding gift of £235.00, means you would be part of a team of incredible supporters whose gift could help fund the heating bill at the In-Patient Unit for the whole month of December, ensuring our patients stay warm and comfortable this Christmas.

If you would like to make a gift you can do so by completing by using the donation form on this page or by calling our supporter care team on 01707 954 850.

One relative said recently that the care that Isabel Hospice gave their loved one “felt like a big hug around the whole family.” I think that’s the best description of what we do here.

This Christmas, you can help give more families that feeling. Your gift – whatever you can manage – could make sure that families spending Christmas at the Isabel Hospice In-Patient Unit – or being supported by our teams at home – feel surrounded by the care, dignity and love they deserve at such a special time of year.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for caring about what we do. Your kindness helps make every Christmas at Isabel Hospice brighter.

With my warmest wishes for a peaceful and happy Christmas,

Emma Chillmaid
Senior Staff Nurse
Isabel Hospice

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The months that followed were a blur of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. But the treatment took a toll on his body. His platelets crashed, and the doctors had to stop the chemotherapy as a result.

We clung to hope when, that December, a scan showed the tumour had shrunk, but in June 2022 he had another seizure at home. A second operation followed, but it left him partially blind. Then came the words no mother ever wants to hear: there was nothing more the doctors could do for him.

Jason struggled desperately with that. He became angry, withdrawn and deeply depressed. At his lowest moments, he even spoke about wanting assisted suicide. It was unbearable to hear my son say he didn’t want to live anymore. Then, just when we were losing hope, Isabel Hospice entered our lives.

An Isabel Hospice nurse named Alison visited us at home. She gently encouraged Jason to visit the Isabel Hospice In-Patient Unit. He was frightened at the thought of going in to a hospice, but the moment he saw how calm and welcoming it was and how much respect and dignity patients were given, that all changed. He told me he’d be happy to go there when the time came.

Even then, Isabel’s care didn’t stop. They were there for me afterwards, offering bereavement support that helped me get through the darkest days. Looking back, I honestly don’t know how we would have coped without Isabel Hospice, it would have been a nightmare.

I’ve continued to support Isabel Hospice ever since — including organising a fundraiser for my 70th birthday — because I want to give something back for everything they did for us. The greatest gift Isabel gave us was support and comfort in the knowledge that we weren’t alone in what we were going through.

This Christmas, I hope you’ll consider making a gift to Isabel Hospice through the Gifts for Good Appeal. Your donation today could help another family share a peaceful last Christmas together, just like Jason and I did. And I promise you — that’s a gift they will never forget.

Thank you,

Jan

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