The Hospice

St Barnabas Hospice is a local independent charity and every year they support more than 10,500 people across Lincolnshire with a life-limiting or terminal condition. They deliver free, high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care and support to patients, their families, and carers. They aim to enable them to live as fully as they are able for however many days, weeks or months they have left. They are reliant on the financial support our community provides so that we can be there for more patients, their families and carers, every day of the year.

Our Story

On 11th June 2018, my mum died at the age of 57. Anybody who was lost somebody close, or is caring for a loved one at the end of their life will know how hard this time is. When we (Mum, my sisters and I) first learned that her cancer was terminal, we realised that the most important thing was making the remaining time we had left together as happy and memorable as possible. We had all hoped that mum would be able to spend time on her veranda, or in her garden, places that she had loved dearly but after speaking with consultants, nurses, and GPs at Nottingham Hospital, where Mum was receiving a trial treatment for cancer, we became aware of the level of care she was going to need if she wanted to leave hospital and spend whatever time she had left with us, at home.

Before Mum went into Hospital she had been going to St Barnabas Day Hospice. Thinking about it, we never really spoke much about her time there, perhaps it was where she discussed truly personal concerns she had about dying, or just did a crossword and had some time away from everything. Regardless of what it was, Mum never missed one of these appointments, despite the drive. Until writing this, and reflecting back on this time, I had forgotten how much support St Barnabas had given, not just after mum was admitted to the Hospice, but throughout her illness.

St Barnabas came to Nottingham and immediately made it clear that whatever decisions were made, were going to be made by Mum. They outlined the details and requirements necessary to accommodate Mum's wish to go home, how this would impact the available care, how it would impact me and my sisters, as carers, and how there were also other options available. With everything in mind, Mum made an impossibly hard decision and decided not to go home, but to spend her remaining time with St Barnabas at the hospice on Nettleham Road. 

Many people with terminal illnesses need this specialist palliative care at the end of their lives, and thanks to the NHS almost everybody receives it. (Palliative medication is used not to treat an illness or disease, but to relieve the physical pain it causes.) However, while the medical care at the NHS is the same, it is the environmental differences that for me, made the Hospice so special. It has a garden, which was full of roses, and well kept. It has a small shed in the bottom corner and the hallways don't make you feel as if you are in a hospital. We were able to visit at any time of the day and we were never asked to leave. Mum was able to feel at home while receiving the care that she needed. 

I'm raising money for St Barnabas because it helped make the end of my Mum's life easier, for her and for our family. With continued and increased support from donators, I hope that they can increase their number of facilities, and widen their reach in order to help more families in our country, and possibly the world.  

Please donate as much as you'd like. We leave on the 7th of October for the trek, and I'd love to reach my target by the time we leave!