“Dedicating a purple rose in grandads memory means so much to Pippa.”

Wade’s story

“Wade, my stepdad, had battled bowel cancer for a number of years. Around Easter time 2025 Wade was taken into hospital poorly and they felt there was nothing more they could do for him there, they had told us they thought he only had days left. When he was then admitted to Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, it made Wade feel human again and not like a dying man. After being moved to Hospice he was with us for around six weeks, not days. The Hospice gave us that time.

For my young daughter, Pippa, it was much nicer visiting the Hospice rather than the hospital. She found the hospital scary and didn’t want to visit her grandad there but she liked the Hospice and said it was like visiting Grandad in a nice hotel. It gave her some time with her Grandad in a lovely environment that felt like a second home even though he was only there for a few weeks. Later the Hospice at Home Team treated Wade with such kindness and dignity in his own home right until he passed. They took away the burden of Mum caring for him and gave him his wife back for those last few weeks and I know that meant a lot to him and it was a huge comfort. The team also met Pippa, they were interested in her and joked with her, brought her gifts including books and activities that really helped us to process parts of her grief with her.”

Our Rose to Remember

“Pippa is proud and excited to be able to dedicate a rose to her grandad in her favourite colour. It’s a very touching way to celebrate Wade and being able to keep the rose and add it to our own garden is a really lovely memorial.

We have participated in a number of Dr Kershaw’s fundraisers but this one feels particularly special. Being able to honour and remember Wade with many other families last year was so beautiful. Hearing so many stories of how the Hospice has helped and is still helping those families was amazing. Sharing our story with people who have had similar experiences was healing and it made me realise how the Hospice is still helping and supporting families even years after losing their loved ones.

People should support Rose to Remember because every single rose purchased can contribute towards giving families like ours the same care that we received. The support that we received was so important and really helped us navigate such a horrible time more easily. It gave us precious time that we would not have had otherwise.”