Michael, 88, from Dunster, has lived a life full of laughter and hard work, taking him through a variety of interesting careers.
“I’ve got no brains,” he jokes, “I’ve never passed an exam in my life. But with my hands I can make a living.”
From his early days as a pistol maker in Birmingham – “I know how to file to within a thousandth of an inch” – to modernising run-down houses with his wife Ann, Michael has always taken pride in precision, persistence, and seeing a job through.
Over the years, he and his wife Ann have turned their talents to many ventures: selling cranes, running a furniture shop in Taunton, opening gift shops in Dunster, and running a bed and breakfast in Blue Anchor. “Ann was very good with the food, and I used to chat the people up,” he says.
I’ve always managed to get people to smile.”Michael
One of his fondest memories is playing Santa Claus, “A little girl came in, went out again, and said, ‘I’ve just met the real Santa – that one I met the other day was an imposter!’” Michael laughs. “That was wonderful.”
Despite his humour, the past year has been challenging. “I’ve been through a very tough time,” he says. “The last 12 months I’ve had arthritis, mini strokes, prostate cancer – an awful lot wrong. But in my soul, I feel very well. I don’t feel 88 – I can’t believe I’m 88.”
Michael’s first connection with St Margaret’s came after his prostate cancer diagnosis. “I got in touch with the hospice and a community nurse called Angie came out here. She was quite remarkable and I liked her immediately. She listened to all my problems and then went back to the hospice, consulted with a doctor, and between them they decided my cancer had probably spread and I needed treatment to stop it spreading further.”
That timely intervention may have saved Michael from paralysis.
Before very long an ambulance came. I didn’t realise how serious it was – but if I hadn’t gone into Musgrove and had the radiotherapy, I would probably have been paralysed from the waist down. I’ll always be very grateful to Angie.”Michael
He admits he was unsure at first about hospice care. “I wasn’t quite sure what palliative care meant at the time, though it’s been explained to me since. I definitely have benefited from the efforts they made – particularly Angie’s visit here. She made me feel relaxed and everything.”
St Margaret’s has also supported Michael at home, arranging equipment to make daily life easier. He appreciates their ‘test and learn’ approach. “If I tried something and it didn’t work, they never minded at all.” Angie and the team continue to work hard to find the best equipment for his needs.
Today, Michael is well supported by Ann and their friend Cathy, who has a wealth of experience caring for older people – but he always knows that the hospice is there if he ever needs them. “Between them they look after me, so I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve been lucky all around – from my diagnosis, to my treatment, to the hospice. I can only speak well of all of them.”
I would recommend anybody go to St Margaret’s, I really would. My experience with them has been first class, and I wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t true!”Michael