Two local fundraisers are taking on an epic 600 mile cycle challenge in memory of tennis star Elena Baltacha who was cared for by our Hospice at Home team in the last week of her life.
Joshua Sheppard, the nephew of Baltacha’s husband, and his friend Sean Bloomfield are setting off on Friday 27th June for a nine-day ride from Ipswich to Berlin to raise money for St Elizabeth Hospice.
Baltacha, known as Bally, was diagnosed with liver cancer in January 2014 and died in May 2014 aged 30. She and her family received care from the Hospice at Home team, and also made use of OneCall, St Elizabeth Hospice’s 24-hour advice line staffed by registered nurses.
Joshua, 24 of Ipswich, said: “The Hospice at Home team were so caring and thoughtful to Bally that I wanted to give something back.”
Hospice at Home is a 24 hour, seven days a week reactive nurse-led service which helps to prevent unwanted admission to the Hospice or hospital, allowing the patient to remain at home with their family. The team provides specialist nursing care alongside other community nursing services, and also staffs OneCall, the Hospice’s 24 hour palliative care support line.
Pip Davis, Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Hospice at Home team, said “Caring for someone who is sick can become a round-the-clock job. Hospice at Home allows families a break from having to provide care, and gives them the chance to be a family again.”
It costs £9.1 million a year to run St Elizabeth Hospice, with around three quarters of that amount coming from the generosity and support of the local community.
If you’d like to sponsor Joshua and Sean on their challenge, you can visit their St Elizabeth Hospice Giving page below:
Ipswich to Berlin Cycle Challenge
If you’d like to learn more about Hospice at Home, please click here.
Sean Bloomfield (left) and Joshua Sheppard (right)