‘When David was diagnosed with inoperable bladder cancer in November 2021 we were left not knowing who to turn to for help.
Sadly, David’s condition deteriorated rapidly causing unimaginable pain and David unable to leave the house.
The situation soon began to feel hopeless. It was only when David’s oncologist suggested calling St Elizabeth Hospice’s OneCall advice line we discovered help was available to us.
I referred David instantly and the nurses visited David for an assessment at home the very next day.
David was admitted immediately and spent time being cared for by the incredible team of doctors and nurses at Beccles Hospital.
Thanks to their fantastic care and support, he was able to return home and gain his life back once more, giving him one last summer of independence.
David was a Scout leader and sailing instructor, so it was his delight to be able to leave the house and be active once more. He even managed
to dust off his bicycle and enjoy rides in the countryside. Something we never imagined possible.
With the continued support of the hospice, and the staff who became like family to us all, David was able to remain at home, with regular visits from the community nurses.
Sadly, David’s condition deteriorated in February 2023 and he passed away peacefully in March 2023.
We really wouldn’t have known how to live again without the help of the hospice.
With Daisy Day being held in Beccles for the first time this August, the family thought it would be the perfect way to remember David.
We feel it’s so important to make others in a similar position aware of this amazing service.
They made such an incredible difference to not only David’s life but to mine too. The hospice is a place for living, not purely for end-of-life.’