Mum was called Muriel, but everyone knew her as Moo Moo. She’d been poorly and struggling for such a long time, until Joanne got in touch, and everything changed.
Michelle and Stacy share their mum’s experience of the hospice alongside siblings, Darren, James and Ryan.
Joanne was a real light in a tunnel of darkness that we couldn’t see a way out of. As mum’s Hospice Nurse Specialist, she became part of our family and the biggest help to every single one of us in understanding what was happening to mum. She was on the end of the phone whenever we needed her, and explained everything to us, every step of the way. That’s all we ever wanted.
When the time came for mum to go into the hospice, she was frightened. But Joanne took the time to reassure her, telling her all about the beautiful hospice gardens that she’d have access to from her own room, and mum was sold. She loved her garden. We spent so much time out there sitting amongst the birds and walking through the wonderful greenery – Auntie Mo had a great time feeding the wildlife! It’s such an incredible place, not just for mum, but for us too.
And those memories live on now. After we lost mum, we decided to continue our connection with the hospice – our brother signed up to do the Sky Dive, and we give a regular gift as part of the hospice’s Daisy Chain, meaning that we have daisy in our garden in mum’s memory. We planted it on Mother’s Day, not long after we lost her, and it means we always have a place to go to remember and reflect on the happy times with mum. The garden is a place that we know she loved, where the birds sing and the flowers bloom around us. Having her daisy there reminds us of the joy the outdoors always brought to mum.
We tell everyone about our experience with the hospice and feel so privileged to have had access to all of its services. It’s funny, you hear about the hospice time and time again, but you don’t really know anything about it until you encounter it firsthand. It is so much more than just the building. It’s the people, the surrounding area, the care, and the compassion shown by every single person we came across throughout mum’s time under their care.
Mum was happy and comfortable during her time at the hospice, and for us, that was everything.
If you’re interested in joining our Daisy Chain in memory of a loved one, or to ensure others like Muriel get the care they need, please click here.
Published September 2024