Leaving a legacy or a gift in your will to Teesside Hospice is one of the best ways to support local people like Lee living with a terminal illness, helping them live as well as possible for as long as possible. Lee’s wife Jen shared with us their story and how Teesside Hospice has given him permission to live his life in hospice care:


“Lee was diagnosed very unexpectedly with a very rare form of cancer in November 2023. It came as a massive shock to us and further scans revealed that it was at stage 4. He had a number of hospital admissions, which were always quite difficult. The staff were great, but the hospital is always so busy, and he often felt very vulnerable.


In November, our designated Macmillan nurse talked to us about the Hospice services that may be available to Lee. At first, he didn’t want to consider it - I think through fear that he always associates the term hospice with dying.


Having seen Lee in lots of pain, my concern was that, as his illness progressed, it would be very difficult to support him at home with regards to pain management. I was reassured that the Hospice was an option that would allow Lee to have the support he needed, but more importantly, the dignity that he also desired.


In mid December, it quickly became apparent that there were no further medical interventions that could take place. Lisa from the wellbeing team at the hospice came to visit us and arrangements were made to move Lee to the Hospice.


From the moment we arrived, Lee has been fully supported, cared for and looked after like I never could have imagined. Upon admission, the Dr’s came to see him within 15 minutes - all introducing themselves and making Lee and our family feel comfortable.


From the very start of Lee’s hospice admission, it felt as though Lee was being given permission to live his life (a very different feeling to when he was in the hospital, where he felt he was waiting to die). As a family, we had made no plans for Christmas as we were told in the hospital that it was unlikely Lee would survive that long. As it was, Lee got his wish to attend Church on Christmas Eve and see the children open their presents on Christmas morning.


We also felt blessed that Lee was able to fulfill our family Christmas tradition - reading the book “The night before Christmas” to the children. This is something he has enjoyed doing each Christmas Eve since our first daughter was born. We were amazed when he also wished to enjoy New Years Eve night - the nurses laughed when he eventually came back to the Hospice at 1.30am!


The fact that I am able to stay overnight brings comfort and reassurance to Lee. When thoughts creep into your mind in the middle of the night, the nursing staff are always there to help. This reassurance has made such a big difference to our journey. I know I can’t change the outcome, but I feel far better prepared than I ever have before.


Our children (Aged 16, 14 and 6) have also found comfort in knowing that whilst their Dad is very poorly, he is safe and in no pain. They also originally thought they would not want to come into the Hospice - they were scared. But now they feel comfortable being able to sit with Dad and chat about their days. We were overwhelmed by the Hospice's support that allowed our eldest daughter to spend her 16th birthday with her Dad at the start of January. 


The Hospice has touched our hearts and we will always show our support going forward for everything that they have done for us. We feel very fortunate that Lee has been able to access the services of the Hospice and I would always recommend to any family that if this support is available to them, do not hesitate in accepting it.”


Help hospice care live on. Leave a gift in your will and help us to continue to fight for hospice care in the UK, ensuring that people in Teesside can die with dignity, surrounded by the best care.

Find out more here.

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