The wife of an Isabel Hospice patient has said climbing to the summit of Snowdon – the highest peak in England and Wales – was nothing compared to what her husband had to endure during his fight with cancer.
The courage shown by Andrew Scripps following his diagnosis in July 2021 inspired his widow Danielle to join Isabel Hospice nurse Janice Penman on her most recent ascent after challenging herself to climb 12 mountains in 12 months in aid of our charity.
Janice, one of our Clinical Nurse Specialists, asked Danielle’s permission to dedicate her April trek to the top of Snowdon in memory of Andrew, who she helped care for before he died in August last year aged 41.
Danielle said: “Janice messaged me on Christmas Day to explain what she was doing and to ask me if she could dedicate one of her climbs in Andrew’s memory. I had already been thinking about doing something in aid of the Hospice but didn’t know what to do, or how best to raise some money, so my immediate thought was that I wanted to do it with her.
“I didn’t have time to go out walking, so I didn’t do any training at all to prepare, but after everything Andrew went through, and seeing him suffer so much, what is climbing a mountain in comparison? I didn’t even break in my hiking boots, but there was no way I wasn’t getting to the top.”
The pair set off at 9am and managed to navigate their way to the top of Snowdon in three hours, sharing a toast at the top with a little bottle of Prosecco.
“The visibility on our way up got worse and worse, but as we reached the summit all the clouds parted and the sun came out,” Danielle said. “It looked like something out of a movie.”
She added: “There was a real sense of achievement and I think Andrew would be really proud of me, and probably a little bit shocked as it’s not something I’d usually do. But now I want to do more, and his friends have said they’d like to join me, so we’re thinking about Ben Nevis.”
Andrew, a well-known painter and decorator who lived with Danielle and their two young daughters, Scarlett, 5, and Poppy, 2, in Buntingford, was diagnosed with cancer of unknown origins after experiencing unusual pains around his heart one evening after work.
By the time he was sent for a scan by his GP, the cancer had already spread to his lymph nodes and stomach. Immunotherapy and chemotherapy followed, until he was put in touch with Isabel Hospice by the palliative care team at Lister Hospital.
“The contact with Isabel was all over the phone to start with,” Danielle said. “But he actually really improved and even went back to work like nothing was wrong.
“But, in April 2022 he was back in hospital with pneumonia and nearly died. From then on the Hospice was ringing weekly and we started to get home visits to help keep his pain under control. We spoke to Janice regularly and she was always checking in to see if there was any more they could do to make him comfortable.”
Then in July, Andrew started experiencing severe pain in his back and a subsequent MRI revealed the cancer had spread to his spine. A bed at the In-Patient Unit (IPU) became available and Andrew was admitted for five days for symptom control.
“The level of care compared to what we had experienced on the NHS was above and beyond,” Danielle said. “Everyone was so kind and caring, just the most amazing people.”
Andrew was discharged but after a few good weeks managing his condition at home, his health began to deteriorate and he came back into the IPU for a second stay.
“There were no beds available at the Hospice initially and I was an absolute wreck thinking that I can’t take him back to the hospital,” Danielle said. “Having experienced the level of care we received at the Hospice before, I just felt that at the Lister he may not receive the specialist care that he needed. So I was ecstatic when a bed became available. I don’t know what we would have done otherwise, and that terrifies me.”
She continued: “The Hospice team couldn’t have been more accommodating. Whenever we rang the buzzer they came straight away. They washed and cared for Andrew so tenderly and there is no comparison to the level of care and respect they showed him. Even though his mind wasn’t in the room, they still talked to him as though he was awake and understood. They treated him like a human being, which was such a comfort at such a difficult time.”
Andrew died peacefully at the Hospice with Danielle, his parents, his sister and his best friend at his side.
“The Hospice made us feel safe and secure,” Danielle said. “No matter what happened, the doctors and nurses were there immediately to intervene. It took the pressure off knowing that I didn’t have to struggle to care for him on my own and there were people on hand 24/7 to show him all the love and dignity he deserved, right until the end.
“And from that point on the care hasn’t stopped. I go regularly for counselling and I speak to them about the children. There is no end to the care and it will go on for as long as I want or need it.
“We all miss him terribly. It’s hard for the children because they can’t process the permanency of it. Our eldest knows Daddy isn’t coming back, but the little one thinks he’s just gone away somewhere.
“Doing things like the climb with Janice helps keep his memory alive. We’re trying to live life for him. Because he loved life and he’d be cross if he thought we weren’t enjoying ourselves, or not having fun. That’s what I try to think.
“The Hospice helped us all to enjoy the time we had left together and to carry on living our lives as best we could by keeping him comfortable and without any pain for as long as possible. Without Janice, and the doctors and nurses at the IPU, the whole experience of losing Andrew would have been unbearably traumatic. The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about and we will be forever grateful for everything they’ve done, and continue to do, for us, and other people.”
Janice was covering Buntingford as a Clinical Nurse Specialist for one of her colleagues when she first met Andrew and Danielle.
She said: “I had visited them at their home on a couple of occasions for support and advice on symptom management and referred him into the IPU as his symptoms were proving to be too complex to manage at home.
“Andy came home for a short time, but sadly he deteriorated and came back into the IPU where he stayed until he died. I was amazed at how Danielle coped with looking after Andy as well as their two young children. They never complained and just took everything in their stride.
“I would call to check on Andy’s symptoms but would nearly always get Danielle on the phone, as Andy was usually up a ladder somewhere, trying to keep things as normal as things could be.
“When people say to me that my job must be hard, I always say that it’s the relatives that do the hard part. This is why I wanted to dedicate one of my 12 mountains to Andy, and I am honoured that his wife Danielle asked to join me.”
Danielle has raised almost £7,000 through her Snowdon trek, an incredible amount of money that will help us continue providing our specialist support to others like Andrew. You can still sponsor her here.
