A widow has signed up to Weston Hospicecare’s Mendip Challenge to say thank you for the ‘unfaltering’ support it offered her family when her husband was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.
Sandra Barton’s husband Robert was cared for by the hospice before he died of pulmonary fibrosis in August last year.
Sandra says she does not know how she and her family would have coped without the hospice during such a difficult time.
She is taking part on the Mendip Challenge on June 2, along with her son Sam, to say thank you for the exceptional care the hospice provided.
More: Registration open for Mendip Challenge 2019.
She said: “In December 2016, he (Robert) was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.
“The prognosis was not good as it was in the advanced stages so our only option was palliative care.
“From this moment on Weston Hospicecare supported us unfalteringly.
“The community nurses visited on a regular basis, offering support and advice as well sorting out medications.
“My husband needed more and more support and became less mobile because of his breathlessness.
“He was admitted to the hospice as an inpatient on several occasions to tweak medication within a safe environment and to generally care for him.
“After every stay, he returned home more able to cope with a renewed positivity.
“I cannot imagine how any of us would have coped without the hospice throughout this time.
“Every time we went to the hospice, it was like walking into a big hug, both my children have also described it as this.
“Even after my husband passed away, I have received telephone calls and bereavement advice.
“Weston Hospicecare is so important, I feel privileged to have had their support.
“The hospice is a calm, safe and extraordinary haven for anybody suffering or facing difficult times, my family wouldn’t have coped without it.
“This is why I am taking part in the Mendip Challenge. I need to say thank you for such support and kindness and words aren’t enough.
“This is just a small way I feel I can help.”
Sandra will be taking on the 10-mile course while her son, Sam, is hoping to run the 30-mile route.
To sign up, visit westonhospicecare.org.uk/mendip
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here