Sponsor a Heart of Kent Hospice nurse this festive season

This festive season why not make a donation to our Sponsor a Nurse campaign and make a real difference to local lives affected by terminal illness. We rely almost entirely on donations and fundraising to provide exceptional specialist care for people living with a terminal illness whilst also supporting their families.

By supporting the ‘Sponsor a Nurse’ campaign with a one-off donation or monthly gift, you can help us to continue providing specialist nursing care to people with a terminal illness and their families who are living in Maidstone, Aylesford, Tonbridge & Malling and surrounding areas.

We are currently caring for over 1,081 patients either at home, in the Hospice Inpatient Unit or through the Hub drop-in sessions which provide support for patients and their families who are facing life limiting illnesses such as dementia and Motor Neuron Disease.

Laura Taylor, one of the amazing clinical Nurse Specialists in the Community Services team wanted to share one of her recent experiences:

“This year I supported a couple as their lives changed for ever. They made a big impression on me, and I hope you will be touched by their story, too.

“Sue had recently been diagnosed with terminal oesophagus cancer. She and her husband Mike had been together for 65 years. They’d known each other since junior school - Mike was the little boy who would pull Sue’s pigtails! He could not imagine life without his best friend. Sue was having palliative chemotherapy which was helping to stabilise the cancer. But it made her feel nauseous and chronically fatigued. She felt rough. All the time.

Sue plucked up the courage to come to the Hospice Hub where I first met her. She asked for help with just one thing: Sue wanted to make the most of the precious time she had left – to capture a few more joyful moments with her husband and to enjoy eating again.

Laura Taylor Clinical Nurse Specialist

She wanted to stop the chemotherapy. But Mike wasn’t on the same page as Sue. He couldn’t bear the thought of life without her. He begged me to persuade her to continue the treatment, and you can imagine how painful this was for them both. I made a promise to Sue and Mike. I promised that I would do the best I could to make Sue feel as well as possible for as long as possible. And I promised to support them both throughout that time. The chemotherapy stopped and I arranged for medication which gave Sue more energy and improved her appetite. They went on a little cruise to Guernsey and sent photos of themselves enjoying sunshine and fine dining. Later, as Sue approached the end of her life, I made sure everything was in place so she would be comfortable at home. Sue died quietly one Sunday, with Mike beside her.

“Mike has struggled so much, but he said he will always be grateful that I helped him to make memories with Sue that he will cherish for ever. You can guess how relieved I felt to hear that.

“When there isn’t much time left to live, every moment counts. Please choose to help sponsor a Heart of Kent Hospice nurse because you are the reason we can care.”