A tribute fund created in memory of a popular family man in Ipswich has now raised over £50,000 for St Elizabeth hospice which provided care and support during the final weeks of his life.
In 2011, Andy and Christina Wise and their children Oliver and Grace were given the devastating news that Andy had been diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer. After being admitted to hospital in December 2013, he was determined to take his family on one last holiday together to Lapland and the four enjoyed making memories.
Although the family was determined to continue living as normal a life as possible, Andy soon became very unwell and on the family’s return from their holiday, Andy was admitted to St Elizabeth Hospice where he spent three weeks receiving pain management care over the Christmas and New Year period.
After receiving further care at home by the hospice community team, Andy’s health further deteriorated and he was transferred from the hospital to the hospice which became a second home to him and his family.
In total Andy spent nine weeks in the hospice and the family have fond memories of movie, pizza and takeaway nights together before Andy passed away peacefully at the hospice on 19 March 2014.
Since Andy died, Christina pledged to raise over £30,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice in return for the nine weeks of care Andy received during his time in the hospice and at home from the community team.
The tribute fund allows Andy’s friends and family to contribute by adding their photos, leaving their thoughts and lighting a candle for him, as well as leaving a dedication with their donation.
Christina said: “The tribute fund has been something positive for us as a family to focus on, turning a negative into a positive to raise money for St Elizabeth Hospice. The virtual page is a tribute to Andy’s life and is something we as a family can be part of wherever we are.
“When we first set up the tribute fund we were amazed by the support we had. When we first lost Andy, we wanted to do something that would give something back to the hospice after the amazing support we had. We would like to thank everybody who has supported or donated to our tribute fund, helping beat our original target of £30,000. We wanted to continue fundraising to make sure that the hospice can provide help to other families.”
You can find out more information about creating a St Elizabeth Hospice tribute fund online.