Our campaign is now complete. 1574 supporters helped us raise £15,838.00
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The campaign has now expired but it's not too late to support this charity.
Visit the charity's profileWe are still hoping to meet our fundraising target of £38,000 from sign-ups and the sponsorship you raise by taking part in our Santa Dash this year, and we know that, with your support, together we can make this happen!
Now, more than ever, we need to raise vital funds so we can continue providing our services to people with terminal and life limiting illnesses, and their families, over the festive period.
For Andy Smith, Coventry Myton Hospice was as close to heaven as he could have imagined when his wife Helen was admitted for end of life care in August 2019.
They met in Derbyshire, Christmas Eve 1983, where Helen was working the festive season at a hotel. Andy knew by Boxing Day she was the one for him. At the time she was in her second year at Manchester University studying Illustration.
In 2016, Helen had been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer following a hysterectomy. The operation appeared to have removed all the cancerous cells but she went through chemotherapy to ensure the cancer was gone. She was having check-ups every 3 months but the cancer returned in the autumn of 2018 and was now in her Lungs, Liver and Lymph Glands.
After more chemotherapy, Helen and Andy decided to make some memories knowing that their time together was limited. They enjoyed trips away to Liverpool, Norfolk and the Cotswolds, spent time with family, and most importantly they spent quality time with their grandchildren who were both just 18 months old.
Helen was rushed to hospital with blood clots in her leg two weeks before she came to Myton. As the clots moved from her legs towards her lungs, she and her family were told she had just days left to live news which none of them had expected.
Helen arrived at Coventry Myton Hospice on the Thursday afternoon, but neither she, Andy, nor their children knew what to expect from a hospice.
None of us knew what a hospice was like and it wasnt something wed ever really considered; we just assumed shed die in hospital which isnt the nicest thought. We were just knocked out by the place from the minute we got there we knew it wasnt like a hospital. They just made everything so much easier.
We knew it was the last stop but it made the memories all the more special. We knew what was going to happen but Myton made it a little less horrible; it was like a little heaven. Our kids and I used the relatives accommodation and we were given privacy when we needed it.
Experiencing Myton made me realise that it is as much for the loved ones as it is for the patients. We could be a family rather than worrying about looking after Helen. We made the room hers with her favourite cushions from home and photos of the family. I brought my guitar with me and was able to sing to her it was little things like that which, when you look back, meant there were moments in there which were beautiful.
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