After her brother Terry, aged 55, was cared for by the Hospice, Liz was keen to find a way to ‘give something back’ to the Hospice nurses who became an intimate part of all their lives during his illness.
“Terry’s journey to Isabel was unfortunately all too short,” she said. “He’d had some stomach pains which were initially thought to be a urine infection. However, it was later diagnosed as an aggressive cancer after a month in hospital and that is when the whirlwind started. His partner and his little daughter were left reeling and for the next 10 days the Hospice In-Patient Unit became a home from home for us all. The staff, who started as total strangers, became a really big part of our lives. They cared for all of us, and in the end, it was a relief to know he was out of pain.”
Liz continued: “I’m not really comfortable asking for sponsorship so I decided to put my creative skills to good use and started making face-masks to raise money for the Hospice. So far, they have raised £700 which is incredible. Through selling them, I have met some lovely people and it has been cathartic for me too.
“Making the masks was a way of helping, the way the Hospice had helped us. I’d studied at the London College of Fashion and a year after Terry died I began a small bespoke clothing business with a very good friend. When the pandemic hit I made nursing scrubs for the NHS, then went on to make masks, putting them on our Facebook business page and my personal page to raise money for Isabel. The generosity of strangers has been overwhelming. My cousin in Belfast shared my post and one of his contacts ordered five masks. The bill would have been £35 but he sent me £100! I didn’t know him, he didn’t know me… people can be amazing can’t they?
“I had not realised that Hospice care was entirely charity funded until we had our experience at Isabel. It has been a pleasure to be able to give something back to the Hospice. I think of all the wonderful people we met during our stay and those who shared the very intimate time of Terry’s passing at Isabel often, their care and compassion was what kept us going through our emotional ordeal. Everyone including the volunteers have a very special place in our hearts. The kindness of strangers is something I will never forget.”
To buy one of Liz’s masks go to – https://www.facebook.com/bettyandbearthelabel
