Alison’s story

Alison recently received palliative care on the Ward at St Catherine’s Hospice. She and her sister, Sara, share her story..

Sara tells us: “Ali and her family have lived in Crawley their whole lives. She lives in Southgate with her husband and they have three children who are now grown up. Ali enjoyed a thirty-year career with Virgin before she retired during Covid. Ali had lots and lots of friends at Virgin and loved to travel as much as possible.

“After Covid hit, Ali got ill with cancer, and it’s been a bumpy road since with chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. First she got the all clear, but then a scan a year later showed that the cancer had spread. The plan was to continue with more immunotherapy at that point.

“And that’s where we were until very recently when things took a downward turn and Ali had a two-week stay in hospital. You know the NHS are doing the best they can, but unfortunately her stay in hospital was awful.

“Her health going downhill and the experience in hospital really shook her confidence. Her options at that point were to stay in hospital, go into a nursing home, go home or come to St Catherine’s. Ali chose to come here and we’re really grateful that she was able to get a room.”

To be able to come onto the Ward at St Catherine’s was a huge relief after all of that.

Referral to St Catherine’s

“There’s no more active treatment for Ali’s illness, so now it’s about making her pain-free and comfortable so that she can enjoy that quality of life now.”

Alison shares: “And I am enjoying it now that I am almost pain free, and here I can spend time with my family and grandchildren.”

Sara continues: “We didn’t really know what to expect, but we’re very grateful to come here and have the stay here because it’s enabled us to get confident enough for Ali to return home and have a good quality of life for as long as we can.”

Staying at the hospice

“Coming here and having the facilities to be able to get showered and dressed, which she can still do, has given her the confidence to know she can also do that at home. It’s been lovely for her to be here with her own room and garden.”

Alison adds: “I have felt secure enough to be to walk down the corridor to go and make a cup of coffee or have a shower, knowing that I’ve got all the facilities there if I need help.”

Sara continues: “As she is now pain free and in a more private and homely space, her children, grandchildren and grand-dogs have all been able to visit. Her daughter pops in every Friday evening and they enjoy a glass of wine together like they would if she was at home; it seems a little thing for her to come up here but it’s like a home from home, that’s kept that Friday visit going.”

Alison tells us: “The care that’s given at the hospice is so gentle and dignified, so different to what you get in hospital. The staff always have a smile on their face, they always have time for you. And not just the nursing staff, everyone; the cleaners, the volunteers, the receptionists, there’s so much care from everybody.”

Sara continues: “The care that everyone’s given, along with all the little touches; the meals, the drinks trolley, the massage therapist, being able to be outside, the trips out; those small things have all helped Ali to recover from that dreadful stay in hospital. It’s like a five-star hotel here in comparison!”

Palliative care

“Most people think you come to a hospice and that’s the end but that hasn’t been our experience. When she came on to the Ward we were all thinking, ‘Is this where you’re going to be now?’, so to be able to have the confidence to go home again is great.

“The palliative care has really helped Ali to be less anxious, far more settled and less agitated. There was a point where she was constantly getting up and down, moving around, and didn’t really know what to do. That has stopped now, the palliative care from St Catherine’s has helped calm everything down.”

I think that it would really help some people if they understood more about what hospice care and palliative care is. Palliative care can actually go on for a very long time with the right treatment and frame of mind. I think it’s really important.

Plans moving forward

“Being here, Ali’s been able to make some preparations as well. We’ve been able to have time to sit here and talk about funerals and make some plans; just take the time to get everything together. Having the space and time, having your own room and the privacy to do that, is really important.

“We know what’s going to happen, and Ali would very much like the opportunity, if she can, to come back here at the end of her life rather than to be at home. We hope that’s a long time from now, but it’s reassuring to know she’ll stay under the care of St Catherine’s, even when she’s at home.”

Supporting St Catherine’s

“Our whole family supports St Catherine’s; we have set up standing orders, joined the lottery and Ali’s son is running a marathon for the hospice. We all really appreciate what’s been done for Ali and we just want to give something back.

“End of life care is so important and shouldn’t be overlooked. We’ve had firsthand experience of the care so know how important donations are. More funding should be given to hospices so that they can operate more beds. It’s wrong that there are some people unable to get this support. We’re very grateful, it’s made a big difference for Ali.”