Radio and TV personality James Whale shares his story

Kerry Harrison, Director of Patient Services from Heart of Kent Hospice said, “We feel privileged to be entrusted with end-of-life care for all our patients. Every patient goes through their journey differently and our aim is to support individuals in whichever way best suits them.”

She added, “We were incredibly touched by caring for James and the way that he reflected on the last chapters of his life. We would like to thank him and his wife Nadine for their generosity in sharing their story in the hope that it will help others undertaking a similar journey. Hopefully this will help to spread awareness of the care services we can offer people with life-limiting conditions.”

Many of us will know James from his radio shows as an eloquent and accomplished communicator, and he was able to powerfully express his thoughts as he received palliative care at the hospice.

During his time at the hospice James shared his thoughts with us:

“Before I came to the hospice I couldn’t do anything but, once I was here, I began to feel better immediately. I don’t feel ill anymore. I feel at peace, though I am not a religious person.

“I know that I have reached the end of my life, and I am quite sanguine about it. I am happy to go now. So much of that has to do with the people who work here because they make the effort to get an idea of who you are and how you feel about dying. They accommodate your views and help make dying as peaceful and as pain free as possible.

“The team looking after me are the most entertaining people I’ve ever met. I’ve never taken life too seriously, so I am not taking death too seriously either.”

He explained, “It has taken some of my friends a long time to understand what a hospice is. My presence here has given them a new perspective on what a hospice does. Most people expressed surprise when they visited me in the Hospice. They hadn’t expected it to be so lovely and caring and the simple act of being able to bring our dogs in to visit was wonderful.

“I had told my wife I didn’t want to go back to hospital, that I wanted to die somewhere peaceful and quiet, and this is the place for me. There is no better place.”

Comfort for family and a peaceful environment

James’ wife Nadine said: “James coming to Heart of Kent Hospice has meant that I can be the person I want to be, James’ wife. No matter how much you care for a loved one, inevitably there will be a time when caring becomes very, very stressful, and you can’t really offer the level of care you would like to. That is where the Hospice comes to the fore.

“The change in my life, and in his life since he has been here has been so magic. He is much more comfortable, I feel so much less stressed, and I can just be his wife. It is amazing, all the staff here are amazing.”

Nadine has kindly set up a JustGiving fundraising page in memory of James, raising funds for Heart of Kent Hospice.

How Heart of Kent Hospice can help

Kerry Harrison, Director of Patient Services at Heart of Kent Hospice, added:

“James spoke openly about how it felt to come into the hospice for his final voyage and how he was able to relax and feel safe and cared for. Offering this comfort to patients along with friendly and professional care is at the heart of what we do as a charity. We also strive to ensure family and friends experience that level of comfort and reassurance throughout their loved-one’s final journey.”

“We were able to initially support James in his own home through our Hospice Community Team who provided professional nursing care such as symptom control as well as facilitated open discussions on the delicate subject of advance care planning. We were then able to continue to help and support James and Nadine and their loved ones, until they made the decision to come into the Hospice Inpatient Unit for further symptom control and in the run up to the final goodbye.”