Michelle and Paul Tetlow lived in East Devon with their son, James. In 2023, Paul received the devastating diagnosis of lung cancer. Michelle explains, “At first, we were put in touch with Hospiscare’s 24/7 phone line, or lifeline as I called it. Here was someone that I could call at any time.
“As things got progressively more serious, Hospiscare’s nurses came to visit us at home. They were just so lovely. They looked after Paul, doing what they could to keep him comfortable, but they were just as concerned about me and James, who has Down’s Syndrome.
“The Hospiscare team just made things happen. At one point, Paul needed medication and I couldn’t get it anywhere. I’d tried our doctors and the pharmacy – the medication was really important and he just couldn’t get it. I spoke to Hospiscare and I don’t know what they did, but the medication arrived.
“When I couldn’t cope at home anymore, I called Hospiscare. Within 24 hours, Paul was admitted to the hospice where we spent his last two days. It was extraordinary. I remember visiting him and even though he was unconscious, the nurses were there, giving his hands a massage like you’d expect in a 5-star hotel. The care and the love they were showing him was so evident. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t conscious.”
Paul died on our ward in January 2024. Michelle and her sons, James and Chris, were able to stay by his side.
Chris and James’s Dad, Paul
To honour Paul’s memory and raise vital funds for our hospice, Michelle’s sons braved a skydive in June and raised over £3,000.
Michelle continues, “Hospiscare takes you on the end-of-life journey in a manageable way. They gently guided us along. We were lucky to be connected with Hospiscare and so lucky that it exists. I can’t believe that a service that the local NHS relies on so much isn’t fully funded by them, instead it relies on the generosity of ordinary people.
“Everyone should have this kind of access and it worries me that, with lack of funding, others might not. I can’t imagine going through what we went through without Hospiscare’s support, so if we can do our bit, like my boys jumping out of a plane, then we will!”
Could you take on a challenge or make a donation to help Hospiscare in the face of our £2.5 million funding deficit? Visit our fundraising page today.
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