Last updated: March 2024
When Mike was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2021, he felt uncertain about the future and knew he had a tough road ahead of him.
Mike was referred to St Margaret’s Sunflower Centre in Yeovil by his MND specialist in 2022 as they thought he could benefit from the emotional and physical support they offered and help him to learn how to live with his illness.
Mike’s wife, Kaz, previously worked in St Margaret’s retail shops so the couple already knew about the ‘wonderful’ support the hospice offered but Mike admits he was ‘apprehensive’ about coming to the centre for the first time as he didn’t know what to expect.
“The Sunflower Centre has had a huge impact on me,” Mike explains. “I first started coming to the centre about a year and a half ago and I was instantly made to feel at home.
“The hospice has supported me with all the therapies I need, and it’s been amazing. I’ve received some wonderful support from the hospice’s Complementary Team. I’ve suffered with pain and other issues with my feet since I’ve become wheelchair bound and the lovely Complementary Therapist, Sarah, gives me reflexology treatments which helps me with that. I also use the hospice’s exercise studio including their pedalling machine and hand operated cranking machine which have definitely helped me to build up my strength.
“But the Sunflower Centre hasn’t just helped me physically, it’s been a massive support to me mentally as well. The social side of the group I’m with at the Sunflower Centre is excellent, and it really has helped to boost my mood. I spend most of my time at home with my wife, Kaz, and the cats or at hospital or doctors appointments so meeting other people and chatting to them is great as it takes me out of my normal circle.
“The staff at the hospice are absolutely superb, they make you feel really comfortable and ensure all your needs are met. I thought when I got to the Sunflower Centre everyone would be sitting there complaining about their illness, but it wasn’t like that at all. No-one really talked about their illness, everyone just spoke about what was important to them and had a great time engaging in all the activities the team put on. It’s a happy place which is warm, inviting, and supportive and I always look forward to going there.
“I really enjoyed taking part in all the activities they put on at the Sunflower Centre. They go to real effort to make all the activities fun and seasonal. We did some excellent activities around Pancake Day and Valentines Day which were great fun and really interactive and they adapt the activities, so they are accessible to everyone, whether you’re a wheelchair user like me or fully able bodied, it doesn’t matter, it’s all really inclusive.
“The hospice’s chefs always do a great job at making delicious coffee, cake, and lunches for us all to enjoy while we’re at the centre. They always catered well to my dietary needs, I am gluten free and the sweet treats and meals they made for me were beautiful.”
Mike said his illness has had a ‘massive impact’ on his life, but the Sunflower Centre has helped to ‘bring him out of a dark place’ which he is ‘extremely grateful for’.
“I have always been an independent person and done things on my own, so my MND has dramatically affected my life,” Mike said. “It’s meant both me and my wife, Kaz, have had to give up work and move out of the home we’d been in for 25 years that we raised our children in into somewhere more accessible.
“I’ve lost the ability to walk so I am now wheelchair bound and can’t drive anywhere. It’s taken away my independence. But me and Kaz are pragmatic about it, we take each day as it comes.
“Some days I can do things, other days I can’t. That’s why Sunflower Centre has meant so much to me. I now go to the centre fortnightly for a coffee, chat, enjoy some gentle exercise and access the wonderful Complementary Therapy and Physiotherapy support the hospice has to offer. I always look forward to going there. It’s such a giving environment which makes you feel warm and valued.
“I’m thrilled to be supporting The Big Somerset Cricket Bash for St Margaret’s. I’ve never watched the cricket before, but I am really excited to go and have a day out with my family and watch a game at the County Ground. It will be great to spend some quality time with my wife, my son and my son-in-law, who is a huge cricket fan, where we’re not talking about my illness but enjoying the sunshine and being together. Please, come and join us.”