What do you think of when you hear the word hospice?

A sad place, a difficult place to be, a clinical space? After all, a place which provides end of life care is hardly going to be seen as a place people make plans to visit, let alone a place people want their mum and dad to be…

These misconceptions can often make people hesitant to accept hospice care, but for one family, the opportunity to receive support from Wakefield Hospice was a beacon of light.

Nellie came to Wakefield Hospice in May of this year: “I was so low, I’d always worried that hospices were just like hospitals but I knew I needed help - I’m 88 years-old and I was drowning, at my age you can only keep swimming against the currents for so long.

“It turned out being referred to Wakefield Hospice was the best thing that could have happened, not just for me but for my family too.”

Nellie’s daughter, Diane, recalls the relief she felt when her mum was taken to the hospice: “As a daughter you’d do anything for your mum. We have always been a close-knit family and to see her struggle day-in, day-out, was so difficult, you want to be strong for her but at the same time you can see she wants to be strong for you – just like all mums do.

“When mum was in the hospice, it was like someone had lifted the worry from all of our shoulders. I knew she was in a safe place, she knew my dad, Ken - her husband of 68 years who has dementia – would be supported – and from day one when I visited, she wasn’t just seen as ‘a patient’, she was Nellie, my mum.”

Please help provide families like Nellie’s the support they need…

As we continue to push on from the huge challenges of the past two years – now more than ever we need your support, we are not just Wakefield Hospice, we are Wakefield’s hospice, we are Nellie and Diane’s hospice, and we are your hospice too.

The Wakefield Hospice Resilience Appeal aims to raise £250,000 to safeguard the hospice’s future during these financially uncertain times, it’s a big target to reach but for families like Nellie’s, the service provided by Wakefield Hospice is simply priceless.

Diane: “When I look back on my favourite memories with my mum – the holidays to the coast, sitting with a Horlicks and watching the fishing boats returning at 6am, the family Christmas’s we shared – the hospice has allowed us the time to reminisce and to just be a family once again, something I am eternally grateful for.”
Nellie: “From having the honour of lighting the beacon at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, down to my favourite poached egg on toast every morning, Wakefield Hospice brought light back into my soul, I’ve always said I wanted to die at home, but after being at Wakefield Hospice my thoughts have completely changed.”

Support families like Nellie's today

Just go back to the question at the very start of this story: “What do you think of when you hear the word hospice?” Has your opinion changed?

For Diane and Nellie, ‘hospice’ now means opportunity, it means support, and above all it means family.

We want to continue to be here for families across the Wakefield District when they need us, when you need us, ensuring your loved ones receive the care, support and choices they deserve. If you are able, please help today by giving what you can afford and keep the Wakefield Hospice light shining brightly for months and years to come.

Support families like Nellie's, donate to our Resilience Appeal