Isabel Hospice Gave Mum and I One Last Christmas Together
My mum, Cynthia, nursed her soulmate, my dad Peter, through a fairly short but stressful time in 2013 before he died of motor neurone disease in June. The toll it took on her was huge. Within a very short time of dad’s death, mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer and, after a few operations, was told it was terminal.
Mum was still living on the south coast in Port Solent, so I immediately moved her to live with me in Hertford in March 2017. We had a few good months before she declined significantly and, because I’d been well aware of Isabel Hospice for years, I did the most natural thing in the world during a time of immense stress, fear and emotional strain. I called them and thank goodness I did. They came to our rescue.
Within days, we had a home visit and a clinician, Christine, in our lives. It was a massive relief for me as mum’s main carer while juggling a demanding full-time job. Christine knew everything. She was calm, capable, knowledgeable, kind and a complete rock. When mum had a terrible reaction to morphine, Christine arranged for her to be admitted to the Inpatient Unit. The minute mum was surrounded by 24-hour care, kindness and expertise, she bounced back. It was amazing to see. I had my lovely mum back for a bit. After two weeks, she was well enough to come home and enjoy a lovely, low-key family Christmas that nobody had expected. It was a gift, and we were so grateful.
When mum’s health declined again in early 2018, Christine helped get her back into the Inpatient Unit, where everyone cared for her and made her as comfortable as possible. Mum died on 3rd April 2018.
Without Isabel Hospice’s superb team of experts, I don’t know how I would have coped. They are there for the patient 100%, but they never, ever forget the family. I have so much gratitude and love for them. They held me up when I needed it most, allowing me to be what my mum needed right until the end. Everyone at Isabel Hospice are unsung heroes, devoted to care in every single meaning of the word, and I will always be grateful for everything they did for mum and me.
Today, I work for Astute Electronics Ltd, which proudly supports Isabel Hospice through the Christmas Stars campaign. I’ll always think of Christine as our Christmas Star. She helped give me my lovely mum back for one last Christmas. By supporting Christmas Stars, you can help Isabel Hospice provide the same care, comfort and support to another local family
when they need it most.
