March

Jo Quigley

Raising money for Birmingham Hospice

The hospice believes that anyone with a terminal diagnosis deserves to live well and make the very most of the time that remains

My husband received such excellent end of life care there.

Aged just 37, David, my husband was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. It was such a shock as he’d never smoked and kept himself active with sport throughout his life.

We found out about Birmingham Hospice where David could receive the end of life care he needed. Initially, David was reluctant to consider the hospice because he didn’t know what to expect. But he was experiencing so much pain in hospital and this was frightening for us both.

When a bed at the hospice became available, everything changed for us. They expertly managed his pain, which was a huge relief, and soon we were all able to move into the Family Centre together in the hospice Inpatient Unit, which felt like a home away from home.

David knew he was approaching the end of his life and that every moment was important. Time, as a family, is what the hospice gave us. They put a bed next to David’s so I could lay next to him and hold his hand, with Lyanna’s cot next to me. He’d spend a few hours awake at a time and in those moments having our children with us made the time so special.

I’m so grateful for the days we had together those last few weeks and for everything the hospice did for us. The hospice gave David time to be ‘Dad’,

Visit Birmingham Hospice