Light Up A Life
“The happiest of memories carry us through Christmas, like Rob’s first visit to St Teresa’s; he couldn’t believe how thoughtful these little things were, that’s what makes the biggest difference.”
For nearly a year it has been my privilege to be the Chief Executive of St Teresa’s Hospice. I’m in the incredible position to see first-hand how valued the care and support that our teams provide is and today I am sharing how that vital care helped one family.
Christine and her husband, Robert (Rob), first got introduced to St Teresa’s Hospice in 2014. Christine cared for Rob at home, along with the help of their family and St Teresa’s Hospice Community Team. Christine shares below how St Teresa’s Hospice helped Rob and their family to make this difficult time more bearable, so that they could focus on making the most of the time they had together.
“We were first introduced to St Teresa’s by our Macmillan nurse. She instinctively knew Rob and I needed some help. I guess she noticed that my eyes were red from crying. Rob had a blood transfusion at the hospice and, as he needed more support, we were able to have care from the Rapid Response and Hospice at Home team. They were there for us for anything medical and they came on a night to give me some respite so I could sleep. I must have needed it as they would say the following day what had happened and if the district nurses had been, I hadn’t heard it; they were my rock.”
“Two days before Rob died they said I might want to get our boys (Craig, Adam and Jonathon) and the family round. We did just that: gathered everyone at our home, played Rob’s favourite music, and got all the photo albums out. I thought that if this was the last thing he heard he would know how loved he was.”
“The Family Support team got us all through it with counselling for me and Rob before he died, listening to our worries and, when he died, they were there for all of us. Having an hour to come to vent, cry or sit in silence was a huge release, a little time for me to breathe. I’ll always be grateful for that space.”
“On the last Christmas we shared with Rob we had 14 people in our home, enjoying everyone we love being together at the same time. Rob retreated for a nap but when he returned he said he’d not slept because he had just laid there listening to the joy and family banter.”
“Rob was a brilliant dad; I see so much of him in the boys and our grandchildren. He loved his music and that’s actually how we first met, at a local gig. We married a year after we got together. When you know, you know. We did good, our boys are good men. We had such a laugh over the years.”
St Teresa’s is reliant on the generosity of our local community to allow us to continue to look after those who need our care, in the place that’s right for them, whether that’s in their home or here at the hospice.
Light Up A Life is an annual community-wide celebration of those loved ones who are no longer with us. Today I am asking you to give a gift to our Light Up A Life Campaign, so we can help more families like Christine and Rob’s, providing light in the darkest of times.
“The happiest of memories carry us through Christmas, like Rob’s first visit to St Teresa’s; we were both treated to a two-course meal served on a tray, carefully laid napkins with napkin rings and a tot of whisky for Rob; he couldn’t believe how thoughtful these little things were. That’s what makes the biggest difference.”
By making a Light Up A Life donation in memory of a loved one you’re supporting our work and celebrating the life they lived. Without this generous support St Teresa’s Hospice would not be here.
I would like to thank you for all you have done and continue to do to support St Teresa’s Hospice. Your continued support is helping us to light up lives and it is never taken for granted.
Your sincerely,
Nicola Myers
Chief Executive, St Teresa’s Hospice
You can download one of our cards to display at home. We will also place your names on our tree at St Teresa’s Hospice. Please complete and submit the form below to make a donation and dedication
If you would like to remember more than one person, you are able to submit up to 4 names / lines of text at a time. If you wish to have more text than this, please return to this page after making payment and complete the form a second time.
You can download your dedication card to write in here.
Additionally, each year, we gather at Christmas time to remember those precious moments we were so glad to have with our loved ones. If you would like to come to our Light Up A Life Service please visit our website www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk/LUALservice. This service is open to all whether you’ve experienced our care or not.
Data Protection
By submitting this form you give St Teresa’s Hospice explicit consent to process the personal data you have provided for the purposes of your Light up a Life donation and dedication. We’d also love to keep you up to date with our news, activities and how you can support us in future. You can update your communication preferences or opt-out of receiving communications from us at any time.
You can do this by sending an email to hello@darlingtonhospice.org.uk or by phone on 01325 254321. Find out how we use/look after your data by viewing our Privacy Policy at www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk. For more information contact us on 01325 254321 or email hello@darlingtonhospice.org.uk.
