One of my best friend’s dad was diagnosed with MDS which then progressed to Acute Myeloid Leukemia last year. He had a very tough year throughout 2021 and deteriorated very quickly. After multiple hospital stays and several surgeries, his family were so lucky that he was able to spend his final 6 weeks at Kilbryde Hospice earlier this year.

My friend’a dad had his own room with his own bathroom. His room was very spacious, had a big TV and patio doors that looked out onto a beautiful garden. The family were allowed to take my friend’s dad out to the garden for fresh air throughout his stay.  The family visited him every day, including his grandchildren, and he was even allowed visits from his dog Riley. There was even the option of an additional bed in the room if his wife wanted to stay with him.

The reception staff were such kind and caring people who always took an interest in the family’s day/things going on in their life each day. When entering, the nurses, doctors, cleaners and clinical staff would all be so friendly. Every single one of them knew my friend’s dad very well and were very aware of all of his needs, etc. They had so much patience with him and did everything they could possibly do to make his stay enjoyable.  Often the family would arrive to find them laughing and joking with my friend’s dad.

My friend’s dad celebrated his birthday whilst staying at Kilbryde Hospice. He received a lovely birthday cake baked by the chef at the hospice as well as a lovely birthday hamper with such kind gifts inside it. The staff had decorated his room with balloons and banners, and they all sang Happy Birthday to him. It was very comforting knowing that he was in such a lovely place with such wonderful people around him.

The staff were truly amazing people who went over and above to make his stay as comfortable as possible. Not only did they take such great care of my friend’s dad throughout his final weeks, but they also made sure that the full family were supported, particularly his wife.

The hospice truly is a remarkable place and despite the circumstances, it is a place that holds a very
special place in the family’s hearts. The staff were exceptional with the full family from start to finish and went above and beyond. The family are forever grateful that their dad was able to have a nice experience at the end of his life and can never speak highly enough of the hospice and all of the staff. As such I would like to try and raise as much money as I can, along side my friends, as a small token of thanks for how wonderful the Hospice was with my friend’s dad.

The event we are doing is called MacTuff and is a 15k run with lots of obstacles throughout (including being fully submerged in ice cold water, in Scotland, in January). This will take place at Knockhill racing track on Sunday 8th January. One year it was -6 degrees and has some pretty tough obstacles (and our fitness regimes mostly consist of beer and takeaways).

Thank you