Pauline visited us to kindly donate this beautiful painting. The scene reminded her of a special last holiday she had taken with her husband Tom before he sadly passed away over two years ago.
Pauline told us: “Tom and I had been together since we were 15 years old. He was in the army and was stationed out in Borneo. I used to work with his auntie who told me to write to her nephew to keep him company. It was a year and a half before we met. We married in 1968, almost 55 years together.”
“When Tom took ill it was such a shock. He never said he felt poorly. It all happened very quickly. When the Macmillan nurses chatted to him about his options, they said he could be at home, hospital or at the Hospice. Without hesitation, he said ‘number 3’. We’d had experience of the Hospice as his sister came to the dementia groups at the Living Well Centre for support. A neighbour had also been at the Hospice too.”
“As soon as we came here there was a feeling of ease and peace. Because of the illness, Tom couldn’t walk, his speech was going and he couldn’t see well. That first day when we got to his room we arrived as a family and Tom was settled right away. The nurses came and asked if he’d like a bubble bath. At home all Tom had was a bed bath. As soon as he was in the bath a smile stretched right across his face. He was in there for an hour and a half! It was the most beautiful thing. He was so comfortable at the hospice and I couldn’t have wished for better.”
“I used to paint years ago, but stopped when Tom took ill. I’ve got back into it thanks to nudges from my family. This particular one sparked lots of memories for me. I can be painting for hours and not realise, I just forget everything and it takes me away. I hope that people seeing the painting feel the same and are taken somewhere peaceful when looking at it.”
The painting will be hung in one of our Living Well Centre therapy rooms so when guests join us for reiki, aromatherapy or massages, or even for a blood transfusion as an outpatient appointment, they can view the painting and it will help aid relaxation. Thank you so much to Pauline for her kind donation which will benefit so many.
