“It was a relief to have nurses on hand to help with anything we needed at any time so we could just concentrate on spending precious time together as a family.”
When her husband, Tim, was diagnosed with cancer in his early 40’s and told he had weeks to live naturally Natasha had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Suddenly faced with a very different looking future, how would Natasha be able to care for Tim at home, while juggling their three children, Hannah, Grace, and Amelie?
Luckily that’s when St Margaret’s Hospice stepped in to help.
“Tim’s first encounter of the hospice was in the In-Patient Unit. It was a short stay while the team helped get his pain under control and I was blown away by the care Tim received. He was well enough to return home for Amelie’s 2nd birthday which felt special,” Natasha said.
“When he did come home the hospice’s Community Nurses arranged for equipment to help him to be more comfortable and mobile at home. Natasha said. “The hardest thing to watch was the pain and the effect it had but the hospice nurses were great and visited us regularly to ensure his medications were balanced and controlling the pain as much as they could.
“And although I had been worried about caring for Tim at home, I was never alone; the hospice's Adviceline was there 24/7, whether it was a question about his medication, or when I could do with some extra support, if I needed to talk to someone, there were always someone on the end of the phone. It really didn’t matter what situation I was facing; the wonderful team were always there to help!
“When Tim was in the hospice, he realised how important a ‘normal’ family Christmas would be to him, so we worked with the hospice nurses to make it happen.
“Tim stayed at the hospice four times between Christmas and Amelie’s birthday in February so the hospice nurses could manage his symptoms and we could spend quality time together as a family. His Christmas wish came true, we enjoyed Christmas dinner all together and he even managed a few carols on the piano that we all sang along to. He was quite tired, and the day took it out of him, but to look back now on that one final Christmas as a family is priceless.”
Tim was a much-loved chaplain at Queen’s College in Taunton and the school launched an appeal to help support his wife, Natasha, and their children, Hannah, Grace and Amelie and it raised over £70,000. He died in March 2022 at our Taunton In-patient Unit with his family by his side.
“Tim was so funny, energetic, encouraging, loving and warm,” Natasha said. “He stood out from everyone else, and he was loved by his local community. Even the small things that Tim did for people had a big impact.
“We’re so pleased we could all be together when Tim reached the final days of his life. It was a relief to have the nurses on hand to help Tim with anything we needed at any time so we could just concentrate on spending precious time together as a family.”
“The nurses were so caring which made a real difference. We felt supported,” Jennifer, Tim’s Mum added. “The nurses would always make me a cup of tea whenever I came in to see Tim and they always checked in on me too. The care he received couldn’t have been any better. Tim was one of a kind, everybody loved him. I am proud to call him my son.”
Natasha said. “I didn’t know much about hospices at all until I encountered one but the whole time, I felt loved and supported by everyone there. We were all looked after and it made a difficult time, a much more peaceful experience.”