Hospice Team helped us to have precious last Christmas at home

All Karen wanted was to make it to Christmas with her loved ones, and with the care and support from the Hospice, she was able to remain at home, even seeing her grandchildren opening their presents and enjoying a glass of Baileys on Christmas Eve. Her sister, Tracey Woodhead shares how Dr Kershaw’s helped to make Karen’s last Christmas at home a magical one with precious memories that the family can treasure forever…

“My sister, Karen, turned 64 last August, and over the years turned her hand to many jobs with one of her first roles seeing her working at Osram, the electric lamp makers in Shaw. She also worked at Jarvis’s opticians on Lee Road, a butty factory in Royton, and has pulled the pumps at a few bars too! She hadn’t worked for a while though as she had been diagnosed with COPD, and classified as disabled.

Karen liked having a pint of lager here and there, and enjoyed holidays with her next-door-but-one neighbour, Marie, especially to Portugal. She was in her element sitting and watching films and got me hooked on playing Happy Colour. She also enjoyed chilling at home and loved spending time with her four grandchildren- Zoe, Teigan, Ellie and Elliot.

In February just last year, my sister went to have a chest x-ray with a follow-up in August. The second x-ray came with devastating results; they had found a shadow on her lungs, which was then confirmed as lung cancer. We were also told that my sister had bone and skin cancer, it was such a shock to be told that all of a sudden my sister had not one, but three types of cancer.

In mid-December, Karen was cared for in hospital for a week, but when she came out she had deteriorated so much, we just couldn’t believe it! The hospital had recommended getting in touch with Dr Kershaw’s, we knew the Hospice well as Karen’s son, Ian had volunteered as a driver there and we had been brought up on Higginshaw Lane right behind the Hospice.

Karen wanted to die at home with her family around her, after Covid she was frightened of going into a hospice and not being able to see everyone. When the Hospice at Home Team arrived they were absolutely amazing, they cared for Karen and everyone else. My sister was their priority, and they couldn’t have done enough for her. They answered all our questions taking time to speak in-depth with Deborah, Karen’s daughter who was also a nurse, about her mum’s pain relief. They knew Karen’s sense of humour and brought that out of her, having a really good laugh with her right up to the end, which kept her spirits up.

The nurses had so much empathy for us all, they were so caring and thoughtful and made sure Karen had everything she needed, nothing was ever too much for them to help or support us with. They are a fantastic team of people, Dr Kershaw’s is a place we’ve always known and always heard good things about and I absolutely understand why now.

Just before Christmas, the nurses brought Karen a bag of gifts from the Hospice which was such a thoughtful thing to do and really did cheer her up. All my sister wanted was to get through Christmas, and she did, with us all by her side. In those last weeks, we sat and watched films, put the world to rights, had some good laughs as well as some cries. On Christmas Eve, her granddaughter came round and opened all her presents with her and we got to have one last toast with a Baileys. After Christmas Day, my sister stopped eating, we knew it wouldn’t be long, and on 29th December, my wonderful sister sadly passed away.

I want to thank Dr Kershaw’s from the bottom of my heart for everything they did for my sister and our family, the team couldn’t have done any more for us, they made Karen’s last Christmas precious and one that we will all remember forever.”