Sue Weller was cared for at home by the Rennie Grove Peace Palliative Response Team before she died of bowel cancer in October 2023. Her children and their families are now calling on local people to back the charity’s annual Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign to ensure other local people can access the same level of care that made such a difference to them.
Sue’s daughter, Cheryl, explained:
“Mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer in October 2022. It was a terrible shock to us all and about 12 months later doctors told us there was nothing more they could do for her. Mum hated being in hospital and we, as a family, vowed to do everything we could to keep her at home where she felt safe and comfortable.
“She was referred to Rennie Grove Peace and the paramedics from the Palliative Response Team were part of the team that started coming out to support her at home. It lifted such a weight off our shoulders.
“If Mum had an issue or took a turn for the worse, we knew we could call them and they would visit her at home. The Hospice at Home team always did everything they could to stabilise her at home, because she didn’t want to be in hospital.
“As a family we felt very safe and supported. We knew we could ask the team anything and they made it possible for us to keep our promise to Mum that we would look after her at home.”
One of Sue’s wishes was to have a last family holiday to Devon – a place that is very special to the family after spending summer holidays there for many years.
Sue’s daughter-in-law, Cody, explained how the support of Rennie Grove Peace made the trip possible:
“We all wanted to get Sue back to Devon but she was very near the end of her life and on a lot of medication. So I don’t think we would have had the confidence to do it, if it wasn’t for the help of the Rennie Grove Peace team. Before we set off they were able to give us the medication we would need while we were away, and also a package to take with us in case we needed to access help from a local hospice during the trip.
“We made it to Devon and had a wonderful time making memories together. If it wasn’t for the practical help and encouragement of the Rennie Grove Peace team, I don’t think it would have been possible to take the trip.”
The Rennie Grove Peace team that cared for Sue towards the end of her life is made up of doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and paramedics. Paramedics are relatively new to the Hospice at Home service and bring with them a whole range of skills that complement the skills of the rest of the team. These include assessing symptoms, problem solving and dealing with crisis situations as well as knowledge about how to navigate the healthcare system.
This year's Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign aims to raise £100,000 to fund paramedics within the Rennie Grove Peace community Hospice at Home team in the coming year.
Any donations made via the Big Give website between midday on Tuesday 3 December and midday on Tuesday 10 December will be doubled, while matched funding lasts. Giving local people the chance to make twice the impact with their donation.
Visit renniegrovepeace.org/thebiggive today for more information. All donations must be made via the Big Give Christmas Challenge website which will be linked from the Rennie Grove Peace page when the campaign is live between midday on Tuesday 3 December and midday on Tuesday 10 December.