Thursday 30th May 2024
All day today, for twenty four whole hours, our Living Well Centre costs have been donated in loving memory of Sue Elphick with a ‘Pay for a Day’ donation.
Below we share the loving words of Sue’s family:
“ We can hardly believe that today (30th May) has been 1 year since we lost our lovely Mum, followed just 5 months later by Dad.
2023 was a truly brutal, unexpected, year but we all received such care, friendship and support during Mum’s time in the Hospice. We felt propped up at a time we needed it most and you helped us to navigate the hardest of times.
After a successful hysterectomy the previous year, Mum had a wonderful year, feeling fit and happy. Catching Covid at Easter 2023 left her with a little cough and some back pain, which quickly got worse. A scan at the end of April shocked us all with the unexpected news that she had widespread secondary cancer in almost every organ and her spine. She died just 3 short weeks later.
A former nurse and midwife, Mum was always stoical and knowledgeable about all things medical but we knew that, having visited friends in the Hospice previously, she was secretly holding on for that herself, rather than die in hospital.
The day she was told you had a room for her, she visibly relaxed, joked about “moving house”, announced it was “absolutely perfect” as we arrived and said she felt like she was finally on a little holiday. It was all so relaxed, homely and special, with the most stunning view across the valley, which Mum really enjoyed.
From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel so welcome it almost suspended reality for a short, precious while. Mum was able to have a last bath & hair wash; was able to host her “girls’ Tuesday coffee morning” and was determined to hold on to celebrate Dad’s 80th a few days before she died, with a sip of fizz and a finger stuck in the icing of the huge cake which the Hospice staff had secured for us. They made such a special effort to make Dad feel it was his day too, singing and sharing some cake. Very sadly, he died too, in October after a fall at home.
When it came to Mum’s final hours, the sensitivity and experience of all the staff was so appreciated. Thank you all so very much. You make the unbearable, not just bearable but somehow special too, despite the sadness.”
We are extremely grateful for this special donation in Sue’s memory.
