Sally Marsden - Patient Relative

"When she became very unwell at home and the GP was called, Mum refused to go anywhere but Hospice, and it was here she spent the last week of her life. But what a quality last week they gave her."

The Isle of Man Hospice was a place where Mum felt safe and cared for and my family and I will be forever grateful for the incredible care and love that she received from all the staff.

Mum, having been diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer was looked after by members of staff at Hospice initially as an outpatient. She was given treatment to help relieve some of her symptoms and was always treated with kindness and compassion. One super above and beyond Nurse (Karen I think) looked after Mum as if she was her own Mum. She also showed so much kindness to my daughter and myself when we flew over from the UK to act as taxi driver, cook, housekeeper and just spend time with Mum in the evenings after her treatment.

When she became very unwell at home and the GP was called, Mum refused to go anywhere but Hospice, and it was here she spent the last week of her life. But what a quality last week they gave her.

Mum was always made clean and comfortable with even the kind catering staff coming in each day to try to tempt her with something she might like to eat. I cannot praise the staff more highly. EVERYONE contributed to this safe, caring, and warm atmosphere.

With Mum seemingly stable (I had jumped on a plane to the Island with just a pair of jeans and a shirt, thank goodness for M&S) I flew home for 24 hours to pick up clothes, make arrangements, and see my Family thinking I would be on the Island for quite a while. I was called within hours of getting home and asked to come back. By the time I made it back, Mum had died.

What happened then was that the Hospice staff stepped in to look after me, soothing my guilt about not being there, ensuring that I would be okay when I left. I also had a follow up visit where again I was reassured that some patients will wait until their loved ones are not there to quietly and with no fuss slip away.

So THANK YOU Hospice for all you did. THANK YOU to all the incredible people that work there and make life easier and better.