Dave’s Story

When Dave Dickinson signed up for the 30-mile Ultra Hike, it wasn’t for the challenge or the medal. It was for John Pons – his stepdad, a one-of-a-kind man who was creative, caring, and dedicated.

“He used to work at the hospice many years ago,” Dave remembers. “He worked here as a community nurse, going into patient’s homes and caring for them. He liked to make sure they were safe and could stay in their own homes, if possible. That’s where his connection to St Margaret’s had its foundation.”

Dave remembers John not just as a stepdad, but as a craftsman, a carer, and a real character.

“He was a very stubborn man,” Dave laughs. “When he had his mind set on something, he would keep to it. But then when it came too close to finishing that project… he’d change his mind about ten times. Then he’d redesign everything and start again.”

“The first time I ever met him we went to Clarks Village to choose a pair of shoes,” Dave recalls. “It took him over an hour to choose one pair. Being a teenager at the time, it was very, very annoying – but it was just his personality, bless him.”

That stubborn and creative streak often showed itself when John was doing things for the ones he loved. Dave remembers how John redesigned their family’s garden. “It started off with one bit of concrete, then ‘oh, we can do another project, add another thing to it.’ Now we’ve got a bit of decking, and now he wants to build garden tables, benches, chairs, planters. You’d have to remind him, ‘John, we’ve only got a small garden!’”

John’s caring drive extended to everyone in his life. “He was his parents’ main carer for years because his brother lived hours away. It was tough for him when they passed. Especially his mum.”

Jonathan’s pain started subtly – just stomach pains that were put down to mundane causes. “Over the years it got worse. About two years ago, I got a phone call just before work asking me to take him to hospital. I rushed over to his place, and I drove him all the way to Musgrove Park Hospital. It turned out he had pancreatic cancer.”

This devastating news brought Dave and his stepdad closer together. “Especially the last year before he passed, working on our garden, he came around quite a lot,” Dave remembers fondly. “He’d just do his John thing, lounging up in a chair with a drink one minute, then cracking on with hard work the next.”

Eventually, years after John had left his role as a community nurse, he was referred to the hospice for care, and arrived on our In-Patient Unit in the final weeks of his life. “I visited him quite a few times while he was here. I remember once, we came in the evening we’d got back from a holiday in Spain. We brought him a fridge magnet of a banana, because he was obsessed with them. ‘I’ve got to have my bananas – they’re on my prescription list,’ he’d say.”

“We were told he didn’t have long… but then, John being John, being stubborn, he went on for another month and a half.”

Dave’s two youngest children visited their grandpa during that time, creating precious, lasting memories. “John made the effort to be in that grandpa mode, and sort of perked up for them.  Then there was the time where I think it was the last visit. He saw the kids, and he gave them both a hug, and that was the first time I got emotional over it. I’m not one for getting emotional.”

John passed away on our In-Patient Unit in December, two months after he arrived. “He was comfortable, he had everything he needed, he had pain relief. They couldn’t have done more for him.”

“I think he liked it here. Because he’d worked here, he had a knowledge of what goes on. I think he was very comfortable, and the plan had always been for him to stay here until the end. Now he’s with his mum and dad.”

John’s memory lives on in many ways. “I’ve got most of his woodwork tools now. I’ve started building things. So far, nothing’s broken – so his teachings are working.”

John was also a supporter of St Margaret’s. “Even after he finished working here, he still donated to the charity. He still helped out. He was just a one-of-a-kind sort of person. I don’t think there’ll be anyone else like him.” That legacy of giving inspired Dave to act.

The walk is more than just miles underfoot. It’s healing. “It gives you something to focus on, even if your mind’s scrambled. It’s about keeping them with us without them being here.”