Approximately, two years ago my mum was diagnosed with brain cancer. After a biopsy it was established that the cancer could not be removed surgically and the only options remaining were for her to undergo chemo and radiotherapy. After 6 weeks of daily visits to the RUH in Bath, it became apparent that the treatment had not been as effective as was first hoped. She began to have epileptic seizures which became worse and more frequent as time progressed. This resulted in her spending long periods of time in hospital, where she was able to recover her speech, mobility and strength after each episode. Throughout this period she continued to work on her MA, however, due to the specific nature of her cancer, simple tasks such as telling the time and counting were no longer second nature. Unfortunately, each seizure left her increasingly weaker mentally and physically. After spending Christmas 2012 in hospital, she was moved into Dorothy House Hospice, where the nurses where able to provide the specialist care she needed until January.

The nurses at Dorothy House provide free palliative care, which aims to increase the quality of life of patients through controlling pain and relieving symptoms in the final stages of an illness. The nurses work alongside GPs, district nurses and hospital staff in order to provide the highest level of care for both patients and families at their most vulnerable time.

In my experience, the staff were absolutely incredible, managing to be so upbeat, despite everything that was going on. I can’t put into words how much their patience, support and unshakable positivity meant to me; so the least I can do is try to ensure that others receive the same support that we did. Dorothy House runs entirely on donations, so anything at all you could give would be absolutely amazing – it all adds up!

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.