Tracy  Cohen was the love of my life.  She was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in April 2012, and had believed she had the all clear after extensive treatment of her first primary breast cancer in 2004. Tracy coped with her illness with great dignity and privacy and never let the disease dominate her life nor define her. She maintained  normality for as long as she possibly could and if this meant sweeping the kitchen floor  whilst experiencing excruciating bone pain from her tumors then the floor cleaning would take precedence.  She had tremendous pride and her trademark stubborn streak ensured she had control of her care and treatment from the  get go. We were both consistently moved by the kindness, generosity and professionalism of all the staff at St Clare Hospice.  We felt accepted as a  couple and consulted in all things related to  Tracy's  care, together.  At times St Clare felt like a home from home and this encouraged in us a feeling of great safety and  security.  We brought our dogs to stay on numerous occasions and the staff welcomed them with as much warmth and enthusiasm as they did to both of us.  The care given at  St Clare is what I would call  PURE  nursing - that being care which is entirely person centred, promoting dignity and confidentiality and always delivered with great  compassion and often love.  The hospice largely runs on donations and receives  only 30% of its funds from the  NHS.  I have chosen to raise  ten  thousand pounds because this pays for three weeks of complete care.  Though Tracy  chose to die in her own bed in her own home,  she benefitted from six weeks of inpatient  care from the  hospice over three years and three years of dedicated and loving care from her clinical  nurse  specialist,  Chris  White. I have been given support as a  carer and will continue to benefit from their bereavement services - all free of charge.  We are grateful beyond words. Please dig deep to ensure that anyone unfortunate enough to be faced with terminal illness can find some peace and safety in their time of need. 

Ruth  Silverstone