Spring Raffle 2023 - David's Story
Terry and I have been together for 36 years and it was love at first sight! From our first weekend together, we knew that was it for us, and not long after he came to live with me. We have had such an incredible life, filled with such laughter and special memories.
It feels as though I have witnessed cancer nearly all my life with family members, myself with bowel cancer and now Terry.
I wasn’t worried about us coming to the hospice for end-of-life care for Terry. When you get old you still think you can do it all but sometimes you can’t. Caring for Terry at home was hard but we had come to a point where I just couldn’t do it anymore and I needed help.
I witnessed my uncle die at home when I was quite young and to see him in such pain has stayed with me all these years. I didn’t want that for Terry. We have been at the hospice for a week now and the way everyone goes above and beyond is quite outstanding.
"At Dove House, I can stay with Terry and be with him for what little time we have left together. I can find laughter in anything and even while at Dove House I am able to be myself and feel cared for."
I know we came to Dove House for Terry to be cared for, but they look after me just as much. The staff are so uplifting, and it really isn’t the doom and gloom place you expect it to be. Everyone knows my name, that’s just one of the ways they make the hospice feel so friendly.
I can never thank Dove House enough for being there when we needed them.
The garden at Dove House offers such a safe place to be able to go when you need a minute, a minute to compose yourself or to take a breath. The stunning pond is so tranquil, it is refreshing to be able to step out of Terry’s room and forget for a moment. Sometimes you just need that little break when it all gets too much.
We are celebrating our civil partnership anniversary next week and I think Terry is determined to stay with me until then. I will be happy to spend it at Dove House, they have been such a support to me, really nothing is too much trouble, for both of us. One of the doctors even drove me back home one night so that I could pick up my own medication but still come back and be with Terry. She went above and beyond her duty – that comes across in abundance at Dove House because they want to, not because they must. I cannot express how appreciated it is.
The hospice makes such a difference, they make you feel like part of the team and included every step of the way.
I know it sounds silly but if a hospice was a place to recommend, I wholeheartedly would recommend Dove House Hospice to anyone. I honestly don’t know how I would have coped if we hadn’t accessed their services and been surrounded by such incredible care.
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