Hospiscare’s palliative care consultant Dr Cate O’Neill will step out of her scrubs and into running gear to raise vital funds for our local hospice at the Great West Run this weekend.
Cate has practiced medicine for over 20 years, with 18 years spent specialising in palliative care. But even that couldn’t fully prepare Cate for the experience of end-of-life care from the “other side” when her beloved father-in-law, Richard, entered his final days.
Now, after experiencing Hospiscare firsthand as a patient’s loved one, Cate has joined ‘Team Hospiscare’ to run the Great West Run on Sunday 25 May.
Dr Cate’s father-in-law, Richard
Cate explains, “Caring for people and their families at the end of life is what I do, but experiencing a loved one dying is something completely different. There’s a feeling of helplessness when you watch someone you love deteriorate.”
“When Richard become so poorly he couldn’t be at home, Hospiscare found him a place in a care home five minutes away and he was supported by the hospice’s specialist community nurses, rapid response team, and admiral nurse, who specialises in dementia care.
“The rapid response team became heavily involved in Richard’s care in the last 48 hours of his life. I was on my own with Richard when he became very distressed and I rang the hospice from his bedside in tears. Jo from the rapid response team came straight to us. I don’t really have any words for how powerful that was. She came and she took all the worry away, so I could stop thinking about what I should do for him as a doctor and instead just be his daughter-in-law.”
Dr Cate in training for the Great West Run
Despite an injury affecting her right leg, Cate is determined to complete the challenging 13.1-mile half marathon. She said, “Despite my injury, if I can help make things a little easier for those facing a terminal illness or the death of a loved one by raising money for our hospice, that’s what I’m going to do!”
As a local charity, Hospiscare must raise almost £10 million a year to provide its care to people across the heart of Devon, and only 24% of its funding comes from the NHS. Cate is one of four staff members taking part in Exeter’s Great West Run to raise vital funds for our hospice, with over 40 supporters in total tackling the route on Sunday to support local end-of-life care.
To support Cate’s challenge for Hospiscare, please click here.
