Thanks to a kind donation, a special new bed has been purchased for the Inpatient Unit at St Teresa’s Hospice, offering families the chance to hold their loved ones close when it matters most.
‘Cuddle beds’ are specialist beds which widen to allow patients to lie next to and embrace their loved ones or pets as they wish. For Emma* this gift is deeply personal. When her husband died after a long illness, she accessed counselling through the hospice.
Emma had seen a news story on TV about a hospice getting the funding for a cuddle bed. She had been churning this idea over when one evening she had been reading a novel, “My Last Words Will Be For You” by Sabrina Philippe. In this book a particular paragraph stood out to her about a couple who had been accessing hospice care.
Emma said: “I decided that I wanted to donate one of these beds. I talked the idea through with my stepson who was completely supportive so I called up the hospice. It so happened that the clinical team had been discussing cuddle beds too, the day before, at the same time I would have been reading my novel. It felt like fate.”
“This idea where you could lay beside your loved one was so important to me. It was something my husband and I hadn’t been able to do for a number of years due to his illness.”
Toni, Clinical Services Manager on the Inpatient Unit, added: “We are delighted to have this new bed available for patients and their loved ones. This specialist equipment will help families to be more connected, without the physical barriers of a normal medical bed. It will allow people to spend more precious time together.”
*Name changed for anonymity.
My Last Words Will Be For You” by Sabrina Philippe
I knocked on the door. A lady responded. When I entered, she wasn’t alone, her partner was lying on a camp bed next to her. He was dozing whilst holding her hand. The night must have been difficult. She was having trouble breathing, but nevertheless, she smiled at me, then turned her face towards him.
“My husband is sleeping “, she whispered. I nodded and withdrew.
Through the gap in the door, their two hands joined were to me like a painting. In this, I saw a rare scene of beauty; this tactile union of skin, of fingers, of mutual gentleness. In spite of her condition, she was still watching over him, in his sleep, as he had done for her during the previous hours.
Translated by Emma
