Debbie Watson – a daughter’s story

Annually, St Elizabeth Hospice cares for more than 4,000 patients and their families throughout East & Mid-Suffolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

This care sees the independent Suffolk charity providing free services – whenever and wherever it is needed, whether at home, in the community or at the hospice – to those living with a progressive or life-limiting illness.

One person who has experienced this care firsthand is Debbie Watson and she has kindly shared her family’s experience of the care provided by our team when we supported her dad, Phil:

“When the word ‘hospice’ comes to mind for me these days, I don’t think of it as a place of tears, of dying and of saying the inevitable goodbye.

“Instead, and most importantly, I think of cherished lasting moments, a chance to ‘be a daughter’ in those final days, of seeing my parents able to let go in a place of care and compassion.

“I have Dad himself to thank for how that chapter played out.

“As his prostate cancer journey progressed, he had become comfortable with the idea that he would want to be taken into the care of St Elizabeth Hospice at the right time.

“He knew that, in making such a choice, it would allow my mum to be at his side as his wife – not a carer, surrounded by staff who could ‘take the strain’ throughout that last stage.

“He and Mum took the time to meet with the team in advance, to see the facilities, and to understand more about what he and our family might expect from the hospice approach.

“I personally valued, even before Dad had been admitted, feeling comfortable enough to call the OneCall service late at night if I was concerned about how I could be helping both my parents, or to better understand the stages of the palliative journey.

“Dad’s days in the hospice were filled with family visits, recollections, laughter, jigsaws and takeaways in the family room, and plenty of comforting words and support from staff.

“I cannot thank the team enough for what they gave not only to my Dad, by way of his palliative support when it was needed, but to myself, my Mum and my brother, for enabling us to experience those final days with such calm and kindness.

“To choose to say goodbye within the bosom of a hospice like St Elizabeth Hospice is not about the individual alone, but about all those who have loved and lived with that special person, and who want to know this final chapter is marked with the tenderness it deserves.”