Marie Curie Hospice helped Nin and Don at Christmas
When Sue’s parents were both diagnosed with terminal cancer, Sue wanted them to spend their last Christmas together in her home. Marie Curie Nurses made her wish possible.
Sue’s parents, Nin and Don, had been married for 59 years. The family was devastated when Nin was diagnosed with lung cancer. Sue initially cared for her mum at home but, in November, Nin took a turn for the worse. Sue received the news that no daughter wants to hear, Nin only a few days to live.
Sue and her sister Julie didn’t want their mum to die in hospital. She was admitted to Keech Hospice in Bedford as a day patient. The following day, the family received some more devastating news: Don was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer.
Care over Christmas
With Christmas just round the corner, Sue wanted her parents to be in the comfort of their home but she wasn’t sure how she could manage this. That is, until she heard about Marie Curie Nurses.
Nin and Don came both needed round the clock care, which was tough, especially with Christmas fast approaching. Having a Marie Curie Nurse there at night meant Sue and Julie could get some much-needed sleep. Knowing the nurses were there, and would wake the family if they were needed, was a massive relief. Sue felt confident her parents were receiving the best possible care.
Sue said: “One nurse in particular, who I just will never be able to thank enough, is called Maureen. She actually came on Christmas Day – a day when everybody is supposedly with their families. She actually gave that up and she was with us on Christmas night.”
Last Christmas together
With Maureen’s support, Don and Nin were able to spend their last Christmas together as husband and wife, surrounded by their loved ones.
According to Sue, the Marie Curie Nurses were “Fantastic. They took the load. When they were there, it felt like an enormous weight had been lifted”.
She said: “I think the most generous gift that anybody could give is to do what these nurses do, and they can only do it with the support of us, the general public. They can’t do it without us.”
A generous Gift
A regular gift to Marie Curie this Christmas can help pay for a nurse to care for someone like Nin and Don and offer their family support and comfort.
Join our Twitter chat – 5th December – Life Services
Do you work in the health sector or have an interest in Palliative Care?
On Friday 5th December, join Phil McCarvill, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, England and Michael Cooke, Head of Analytics at Marie Curie, as we field your views and tweets on the role of community-based services within health-care.
Friday 5th December @mariecurieeolc
What’s it about?
The need for more community-based services to support people discharged from hospital, especially the elderly and terminally ill. Better community services can help to prevent unnecessary readmissions, especially during the winter pressures. The Nuffield Trust recently published a report – Exploring costs at the end of life – which explores this area. What are your thoughts?
Who should join?
Anyone with an interest in end of life care for the terminally ill such as Healthcare professionals, Commissioners for end of life care, GPs, Palliative care researchers, Palliative care nurses
What to expect
A lively debate and the opportunity to share your knowledge and experience with peers on the role of home nursing services in improving care and potentially reducing costs to the NHS.
How to join
1. Access Twitter and search for #bettereolc https://twitter.com/hashtag/bettereolc
2. Post your comments and remember to use #bettereolc in any tweet you send and include a “.” in front of an @ if you want your tweet to show up in all feeds.
3. Marie Curie will be on-hand to keep the conversations flowing
About Marie Curie
Given the choice, most of us would want to die at home, surrounded by the people and things we cherish. Marie Curie Cancer Care makes this possible.
Our nurses give free hands-on care to people with all terminal illnesses in their own homes, and vital emotional support to their loved ones. We allow families to make the most of the precious time they have left together.
But the sad fact is, every five minutes someone in the UK dies without the care they need at the end of their life. That’s why we urgently need to reach more people – and why we’re counting on your support.
A gift of £20
pays for a Marie Curie Nurse to look after someone with a terminal illness for one hour, in the comfort of their own home.
A gift of £10
helps us to provide 30 minutes of desperately needed nursing
A gift of £180
pays for a Marie Curie Nurse to look after someone with a terminal illness for a full nine-hour shift, in the comfort of their own home.
ITV Text Santa – Live Now!
Marie Curie is delighted to have been chosen as one of six charities to benefit from ITV’s Christmas fundraising appeal, Text Santa.
Text Santa is a national fundraising campaign that raised an incredible £5.1 million in 2013. The money raised this year will be split equally between Marie Curie and the other chosen charities – Teenage Cancer Trust, Guide Dogs, WellChild, Alzheimer’s Society and Together for Short Lives.
What are we up to?
On Thursday 4 and Friday 5 December we are holding bag packs at all UK Morrisons supermarkets!
On 12 December and 19 December we are holding bucket collections at TFL stations Bond Street, Monument and Canary Wharf, London.
Coming up next year!
Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal is coming up, and we are busy getting ready for what we hope will be our biggest appeal yet. Every March millions of people across the UK show their support for our work, simply by giving a donation to wear a daffodil pin.
Given the choice, most of us would want to die at home, surrounded by the people and things we cherish. Marie Curie Cancer Care makes this possible.
Since the first Great Daffodil Appeal took place in 1986, it has raised an incredible £80.4m, enabling our nurses to provide free hands-on care to people living with a terminal illness in their own homes.
Without this generosity, thousands of families across the UK wouldn’t be able to make the most of the precious time they have left together. That’s why we’re so thankful for the support we’ve received in the past, and why we’re so determined to make an even greater difference in the future.
Please make a note of the date, and encourage people to give through their pay to help Marie Curie Nurses care for more people living with a terminal illness so they can spend time with the people they love.