Giving Love with Care this Christmas

“My name’s Sarah, I’m only from down the road, but I ended up coming to Teesside Hospice because I’ve got cancer. I suffered a lot with the pain, especially in my back and stomach. But, with the help of these guys, through pain management I’ve got control of my life back.”

Whilst staying in our 10-bed inpatient unit, you have access to 24-hour specialist care in a comfortable and relaxed environment. A real home from home, where the needs of our patients come first. We will do everything we can to make their stay is just as they would like it to be. You’ll always have control of your care plan, and the reassurance of a nurse call system with nurses available 24 hours per day, and a doctor available on call.

“There’s just a stigma there, and I was one of them who believed in that stigma. I come through the door and after a few days, I just realised how much I was wrong about the words ‘Teesside Hospice’. If I could make all the people understand what it’s like, I would. I’m actually smiling, and I’ve never had a smile on my face in a long time. I spent three days pacing around my room. I didn’t want to go outside the doors. I was in too much pain. I’m a very anxious person, so for me to try and go out them doors, and have other people see me in pain, it’s just not going to happen. It’s why I spent the last year in bed where I could just suffer in silence, and without having anyone look at me – including my kids.

”At Teesside Hospice, we want people to live life until the end of life. Everybody gets treated as an individual, whether it’s physical, mental or emotional support they need from us. So, they can stay as independent as possible, for as long as possible.“Now I’m starting to feel like a new me. I can hardly believe it. I’ve gone out and I’ve been talking to everyone. I’ve just been so joyous to be back in the real world. It’s all thanks to Teesside Hospice because it’s something I couldn’t have done at home by myself.”

“Craig struggled as well. He was struggling with me, and I think it gets him down a lot as well because he spent a lot of time with me and didn’t dare leave my side in case something happened. It’s not fair. I kept on saying to him: ‘I feel like I’m a burden on you’, because he’s got a car, he could go anywhere he wants, but he was just sticking by my side. So hopefully now, Craig might feel like he can wander away from me and do something by himself.”A terminal illness not only impacts the individual, but their families too. We’re here to offer support and guidance to families, during and after someone’s terminal illness.

“The support that they have given me has been round-the-clock. I woke up one morning and I started having a bad cough, they came running in straight away. I’d have struggled with that at home, and Craig would’ve started getting anxious. It was so good to have someone there on-hand. It’s the little things that you take for granted that they’re there for, and it really makes a difference.Sarah is 1 of 2,000 local people we support each year across all services. Without the support from you, we couldn’t give Sarah the much-needed care that she deserves.“This place isn’t fully government funded so I do have to say a massive thank you to those who can help and can contribute to something like this. 

To anyone who donates or fundraises to help people like me come to a place like this – thank you. I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t have gotten the help I needed if it wasn’t for Teesside Hospice.”