The smallest things can make the biggest difference in the lives of those we care for at Isabel Hospice.

Like feeling the sun on your face after weeks of being confined to a hospital ward, or the taste of a fresh fruit smoothie when you have barely been able to stomach food for months because of the effects of your cancer.

Helping our patients make the most of every moment, at a time when life is most precious, is what sets Hospice care apart.

Mum-of-one Gill Eliot, who was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in January 2019, knows that it is the simplest of things that can feel the most special.

She spent almost a fortnight as an in-patient at the Hospice after being transferred directly from hospital to help relieve some of the pain and discomfort she had been experiencing due to her cancer, and to rebuild her strength before being discharged home.

The 53-year-old finance worker, from Broxbourne, said: “I’d been in hospital for just over four weeks prior to coming to the Hospice. I wasn’t allowed any visitors because of Covid and I didn’t see my son in all that time.

“In all honesty, it was really tough but even when the hospital team started talking about being discharged, I started to really stress out because I didn’t think I had the strength to be able to cope with going from hospital to being straight back home.

“Isabel Hospice was then mentioned and it was explained to me that it wasn’t just about end-of-life care, but they could help with pain control and improve my mental and physical wellbeing to get me to a place where I felt ready and confident to come home.

“Staying at the Hospice is so different to being in hospital. As I came through the doors, I could feel so much of my worry and anxiety instantly disappear. It was pure relief to be out of hospital where I hadn’t even felt fresh air on my face for weeks.

“It was a lovely sunny day and when they brought me into my room I asked to go straight out into the garden. I hadn’t been outside for such a long time and I just sat there with the sun on my face thinking this is exactly what I needed.

“Then this beautiful smoothie appeared that looked just like a strawberry daiquiri. I shut my eyes and imagined I was on a tropical beach with a cocktail in my hand.”

As well as enjoying some of the home-cooked meals and snacks prepared by our wonderful chef Joan and the Hospice’s catering team, Gill also benefited from support from Isabel’s team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and complementary therapists.

She was also offered counselling through Isabel’s Family Support team and advice from the Hospice’s Children’s Service.

“It’s like staying in a four or five star hotel, you can’t help but feel safe and looked after here,” Gill said. “And now I know that if I’m struggling I can ring up for support, or even come back here if something were to happen in the future. It’s such a lovely, calming place and coming here was the best thing I could have done.”