Kate's Story
“Running the London Marathon to raise money for Hospice in the Weald is a huge privilege, and something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Two years ago, my Dad was admitted to the Hospice as an end of life patient. It was undoubtedly going to be an extremely challenging and painful time. I didn’t fully appreciate how lucky we were to have the Hospice and all its incredible facilities until afterwards.
Dad had been visiting the Hospice for a year or so before he died, making the most of the services offered. All year he benefitted from counselling, art therapy, massage, reflexology; the list goes on! These incredible resources were invaluable to Dad: they allowed him to talk about his fears and worries about dying in a safe environment. His counsellor was just brilliant. She was unreservedly kind and understanding, even making time to visit him when he was an In-Patient and needed it the most.
After his death, our whole family was offered counselling services for free, which I personally made great use of. In my last year at University, I was struggling to manage my grief whilst completing my finals and applying for jobs. My counsellor, Joanne, always made time for me: providing me with resources and advice, but also helping me to accept my pain and allow myself to grieve. I would not have made it through that time without her.
The way that Dad was cared for whilst he was in the Hospice changed my life. He had been in and out of hospitals since I was 12 years old and as a result, clinical environments terrified me. I thought the Hospice would be the same. Instead, Dad spent his last days in a beautiful setting, with access to a peaceful garden straight out of his room. Volunteers played his favourite Bob Dylan songs on the guitar for him, provided fresh flowers for his room and offered massages, Reiki and refreshments at any time. My whole perspective on what it means to care for someone changed. I was inspired by the team of Hospice staff, who saw Dad as a person, not a problem; listening and responding to his requests and our anxious queries.
