The medical care and expertise that our patients receive is of the highest quality, but so too is the compassion, support and understanding shown to each and every family that we care for.

In January 2022, married dad-of-two Mike Phelan spent five days at our In-Patient Unit prior to his death aged 38. 

His wife Terri said: “I don’t know what I would have done if Mike hadn’t been able to come into the Hospice. They were the worst days of my life, but the staff were so amazingly kind and looked after all of us.”

Mike, a business data analyst, was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour after collapsing suddenly and unexpectedly at home one evening in October 2020. 

“Mike never so much as got a cold, so it was terrifying,” Terri said. “You never expect it to happen to your family so it was a massive shock. We were told quite early on that it was terminal and couldn’t be cured and that he probably wouldn’t have a lot of time.”

Despite undergoing surgery and radiotherapy, the tumour was so aggressive that it continued to grow. In November 2021, it was decided that nothing else could be done and Mike was switched to palliative care.

Terri said: “Mike was adamant that he didn’t want to die at home because he didn’t want the boys to have those memories of him dying in the house. And he didn’t want to go into hospital because he wanted me to be with him.

“At that point, he was starting to decline quite fast and we had two awful days struggling at home. We had the district nurses coming in, but he couldn’t get up the stairs and was becoming really agitated because of the swelling on his brain. He was getting more and more distressed and I didn’t know what to do. It was just a horrendous time.” 

A bed became available at Isabel Hospice and Mike was transferred to the In-Patient Unit by ambulance. 

“The doctor we saw when Mike first arrived was so honest with us, but in a really gentle way so right from the start we knew what to expect. His brothers and his mum were able to come and see him, and I didn’t feel uncomfortable about the boys coming.  I was able to stay every single night, which was important to us both as I didn’t want to leave him.

“You never felt like you were bothering anyone, and if you called they would come straight away. Sometimes, they’d be in the room with us for an hour, just chatting and asking about what Mike was like before, and not just when he was ill. He looked quite different because of all the medication he was on, but they asked to see pictures of him before and on our wedding day. It meant a lot that they cared about him in that way.”

Mike died peacefully early in the morning. “His final few days were so peaceful and calm, and at the end he was ready to go,” Terri said. “To have that time with him meant everything, and I’m not sure that would have been possible at home or in hospital. If I’d been sent home I never would have been there when I’d made a promise to him that I’d be with him at the end.”

She continued: “I’ve always been scared of dying, but there was no trauma, there was no pain and it’s made me think about it differently. There’s nothing lucky about dying at the age of 38, but it’s better to go in those circumstances, without fear or pain, and with the people that you love by your side. The Hospice made that possible for Mike, and we will always be grateful for that.”