“When my Isabel community Clinical Nurse Specialist Sharon called me, I had told her that I didn’t seem to be able to get on top of the pain. We had been speaking regularly on the phone since the pandemic, and she had suggested I visited the Hospice’s In-Patient Unit for them to help. I wasn’t keen as I’m very vulnerable because of the cancer, with my daughters only visiting me in the front garden. I’m frightened of getting coronavirus so I didn’t want to go into the Hospice in case I got it there.

“However, the pain got so bad, it really got me, so I agreed, and I am so glad I did. They were absolutely lovely and the food was amazing. When I went in, the nurses and doctors talked to me and reassured me. They did a virus test on me when I arrived as I said I was anxious about that, and that helped reassure me.

They asked if I was anxious about anything else and I told them I’d brought my cocker spaniel Lucy along in the car, as I thought my partner Richard would just be dropping me off. I told them I was anxious that Lucy was in the car too long, and the sun was starting to come out, so they told me to bring her in. I couldn’t believe it! “After that, in the 5 days that I was there, as they tried different things to control my pain, Lucy visited with Richard every afternoon in my room.

The Hospice handled my pain control so well. They monitored me during the night, changed things here and there, until it was under control. I hate to think what would have happened without Isabel Hospice.”