My story, isn’t mine… it’s my Mum’s

My mum was diagnosed with cancer and we had hopes of smashing it out the park but complications came after a biopsy and it was a rapid decline, my mum was back in hospital. After a few days we were told that it is essentially the end of the line palliative care from here on in. My mum was done with daily blood tests and transfusions, she just wanted out of the hospital and home, it just wasn’t possible. My mum was then offered the option to go to a hospice.

When the word hospice is mentioned, at least in my mind, I’m not seeing anything much different to a hospital. We were told that it was to be the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, and as per my norm, a google search took place to find out what it was all about.

My mum arrived a few hours before I did and she was absolutely loving it, she had perked up a good bit, it certainly gave her a few more bright days, smiling, being more alert, gestures and the odd sentence or two toward the end. The room was amazing and comfortable, the staff were incredible, friendly, polite and calm in everything they did, even after my mums final moments.

The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice certainly lived up to its description. It was opened in 2018 after an astonishing fundraising effort of £21,000,000 and a gift of land from Glasgow City Council, it was built in Bellahouston Park. It’s the first in the country to use the Scandinavian Sengetun model of palliative care, where it says that patients and families are the heart of everything, the medical/clinical side is in the background to make everything and everyone feel at home and comfortable, and it truly was.

Which brings me here, I’m taking part in the Glasgow Kiltwalk Mighty Stride, just over 22 miles from Glasgow Green to Balloch. I’ll be doing this in Halo ODST cosplay and kilt to make things more intense and all to fundraise for the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, and also in recognition of their outstanding care.

Thank you for reading and for any donations made

Joe