Kat and Mandy's Story

Teesside Hospice is here to support patients and families at all stages of their journeys.

From April 2024 to March 2025, over 30% of patients in our In-Patient Unit were discharged to their home or nursing home, with many coming to us for pain management and support with symptoms of life-limiting illnesses.

This has been the case for recent patient Kat, who has stayed on our unit for three weeks after struggling with pain at home. Kat now describes the hospice as her home – and has even decked out her room with Christmas decorations!

Before she was discharged, Kat and her mum Mandy kindly shared their experience with Teesside Hospice with us:

“I hadn’t been feeling very well for quite a long time, and while I was waiting on tests, my pain was getting worse. MacMillan nurses had stepped in and got what I needed in place for the house, but one day I was absolutely sobbing in pain and struggling to move, and that’s when I was brought into the hospice for pain management.

Coming here has just been an absolute miracle for me, it really has. Normally I’m a fight and fight girl, I won’t stay in one place too long. But I knew that I had to stay here to get things right and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. When the word hospice is mentioned, it’s a fright. But now – no, I’m happy to come back here.

They explain absolutely every part of my treatment. Dr Deane is absolutely fantastic; Dr Laura comes in and sits down to explains things for me and she makes sure I understand. When the nurses come round, they make you feel so welcome and like you’re not worthless. They really do make absolutely everything easier, even though were going through a hard situation. They make everything just a little bit better and it’s the time that they give. They’re superheroes, they really are.

For me now, I know where I want to be at the end and I know what I want to do in between. It’s not all about going to all these big places – it’s about spending time with my family, my children. And my mam is my rock, she really is.

It’s like another family here. They are one in a million and I know that I can go to my resting place and when I’ve gone, I’ve gone where I wanted to be. I’ll be happier.”

At Teesside Hospice, the care and compassion we offer doesn’t just end with our patients – we aim to make ever family member, friend and visitor who passes our doors feel welcome and cared for too. Kat’s mum, Mandy, shared her experience with us:

“When my daughter first came in, I was thinking ‘is she going to come out?’, but it was the best decision. What she has is terminal, but they’ve put so much in place for her to come home and have that quality of life. And when the time comes, this is where she wants to pass away, because in here you go with dignity.

I can’t praise the team enough. They cater not just for the patient, but for people like me coming in. The nurses, the cleaners, everybody that works within this unit – they’ve just got time for you, nothing is too much bother. We can stay overnight, you’ve got a nice kitchen there and the tea room, which is great for having somewhere to visit.

Everything the staff do doesn’t just make their (the patient’s) life easier, it makes our life easier and in here you don’t have to worry. I know that if I go out, she’s alright here.

We took Kat out one day, to Whitby and to her home, and had a fantastic day. We came back here to the hospice and when she came in, she said ‘mum, this is right’. It’s like home – she calls this her home. And I just think it’s so peaceful. It’s just everything about the place, I can’t praise it enough.

I’ve never come across such a caring, thoughtful person as Dr Deane. In here, if a doctor comes round, they’re not in a rush to get away. Like the other day, Dr Deane sat and looked at photos with us of our day out, and you can tell that he’s really interested.

And sometimes people like Julie, who work in their offices, don’t get the attention they should, but she’s helped us with paperwork, with bills. They’ve sorted it all out and taken all that pressure off me, even now as we’re about to leave.

As sad as it is being in here, we’ve met some really lovely friends. It’s weird how in life your paths get crossed with somebody. We never thought in a million years we’d be here making friends with other people, but you can talk about your situation with other people. Especially for myself, if I’m here I can offload, have a chat and come away thinking ‘I’m not the only one going through this, there are so many people in the same position’.

I think a lot of people do think they come in here and that’s the end of it, because you hear that about hospices. But if you’re unsure about it, come and have a cup of tea and look round, because as soon as you walk in you’ll know, starting from the receptionists through to everybody you come across.

I feel like I’ve gone home with a wide and huge family. It makes a big difference because I know when that time comes with my daughter, she’ll be here, but we can all come too, there’s no limit. I came in at 4am the other morning because I couldn’t sleep and they were so welcoming, saying ‘come in, are you alright’, and it’s just heaven. I feel like I’m at home and I’m going to miss it.

It just doesn’t seem like a hospice. It’s all the little things, like the doors in the rooms – we sit here with the doors open, and you feel like you’re in your own flat with your own garden. They’ve thought down to every detail.”

Through our Wellbeing Centre, we offer complimentary therapies to not only our patients, but carers and family members too, allowing them to take some time for themselves and relax. Mandy said: “I’ve had the complimentary therapy massage and head massage – oh my god, absolutely amazing! I think it’s so good that they’re giving it to the relatives. Relatives spend a lot of time here and while it’s about the patients, to get relatives involved in that is amazing.

Everybody’s a bit tight with cash, but when you see the hospice charity boxes, if you’ve got 50p to spare, put it in because they deserve it. And always remember that what goes into this hospice is for the patients – it’s your loved ones that can be gaining from this. I will miss it, but we’ll be coming back. We’ll come to the groups, I’ll come for a cup of tea then pop down and say hello because I’ll miss everyone.”

Thank you for sharing your story, Kat and Mandy. If you’d like to learn more about Teesside Hospice and our services, visit https://www.teessidehospice.org/our-work/.