Tess and Mike grew up together on the same estate in Langport – childhood friends whose bond grew into a lifelong love. They got together at 16, married in 2007, and spent 22 years side by side, raising their two sons: Benjamin and Macaulay.
“Tess was a fun person – she enjoyed life,” Mike says with a smile. “She worked in the kitchens in the local school. She loved her family so much, and she loved being active and going to the beach.”
Then the worst happened. Tess was diagnosed with breast cancer, which later spread to her lymph nodes and led to lymphoedema. At first, Mike cared for her at home with support from community nurses. Eventually, she was referred to St Margaret’s.
I was quite scared. But Tess was happy to come here."Mike
“She already knew quite a bit about the hospice because she used to volunteer at the charity shop in Langport. She knew what they did.”
The hospice began supporting the family at home, and Tess received care from St Margaret’s Lymphoedema Service. “She used to come here and have treatments on her arms to get the swelling down,” Mike remembers.
As her illness progressed, she was admitted to the In-Patient Unit (IPU) for end-of-life care. “I remember the first day now,” says Mike. “We went into the room, and the nurse was just brilliant. The boys were a bit younger then, and the nurse noticed they were probably a bit frightened, so she brought them cake and stuff.”
What followed was nearly a month of care, kindness and connection. “Anything you wanted was brought to you. I used to stay in the hospice, on a little bed – I’d sleep in the room with her and everything,” says Mike.
I thought it was going to be a scary place, but it’s not at all."Mike
I basically lived there for 28 days. Everyone was so helpful, and they always explained what was happening.
“The nurses even stayed late a few times just to help out. They were fantastic people, and they always went above and beyond.” The hospice did everything they could to bring fulfilment to Tess’s final days.
One of the most precious moments came on Mothering Sunday, when the hospice organised a special party for Tess, her sons, and her seven godchildren. “We had a little tea party and everything,” Mike remembers fondly. “That was really nice, because it was the last time her godchildren were going to see her.”
The hospice always went out of their way to care for what was important to Tess and her family. Mike had lost his wedding ring a few years earlier. “Tess always joked that I pawned it for a McDonalds,” he laughs. “But I got another wedding ring, and we had it blessed here, which was really special.” The hospice’s holistic approach addressed Tess’s spiritual and emotional needs as well as physical ones.
“I still have that ring now,” says Mike.
As the days on the IPU passed, Tess expressed one final wish: to see the beach again.
“At the time, I didn’t think we were going to be able to do it,” Mike admits. “But we spoke to the nurses, and they spoke to the doctors.” The team leapt into action.
Bringing the trip to life took compassion, and commitment. “We needed Kerry, a healthcare assistant, and Anna, a senior nurse, to come with us. It was their days off, but they said they’d come anyway so it could be made possible.”
Mike’s friend lent them a community bus, which the hospice ensured was safe and suitable for Tess’s needs. And then they set off – Mike, Tess, the boys, and two dedicated hospice staff – for Weston-Super-Mare.
“We walked along the beach with her in her wheelchair. We went into town and saw some police horses, which cheered Tess up. She liked horses.”
They even went on a quest for oyster shell ice creams. “We couldn’t find them,” Mike laughs, “So in the end we just went to Asda and bought the shells, then came back and had some ice cream put in. But her day was complete.”
It fulfilled our dreams. If it wasn’t for the hospice, we wouldn’t have been able to do that. We did it on the Wednesday, and on the Friday, she passed away.”Mike
Hospice care is about so much more than medicine. It’s about dignity, compassion, and love. It’s about helping patients live well for as long as possible. It’s about creating space for joy in the hardest moments – a final walk by the sea, an oyster shell ice cream, and a memory that Tess’s family will carry with them always.
