During the pandemic when our patients could not always be with their loved ones, we reached out to our incredible community to knit memory hearts. When a patient died, a knitted heart would be placed in their hand and a matching heart or hearts would be given to their loved ones.
When all visiting restrictions were lifted, the hearts remained. They served a vital purpose in keeping the patient and their loved ones connected, even after death, and provided a small yet tangible comfort at such a difficult time.
When Tia Clarke’s uncle died in March 2025, she received a blue heart from the ward team and a matching heart was placed in her uncle’s hand. For Tia, this has been an immense source of comfort and she now carries her uncle on “blue heart walks”.
Tia explains, “To channel my grief into something meaningful, I take the blue heart with me on walks and adventures. It’s my way of carrying my uncle with me, letting him live through my experiences. I document each moment, so he can see still see the world through my eyes and through my love.
“I want to thank everyone at Hospiscare for their support during such an awful time for my family. They made my uncle as comfortable as possible and helped him when he neared the end of his journey.”
