Thank you for taking care of Grandpa
Thank you to Martha Davis for letting us share this
beautiful tribute to her Grandpa Alan Bird. Alan,
who was from Four Oaks, died earlier this year at
St Giles at the age of 80. Martha, who is a student
in Manchester, wrote this the night her beloved
Grandpa died and it was shared at his funeral.
We are glad we were able to be there at such a
difficult time.
“Cancer stripped my Grandpa of everything, except his iron will
and dignity, the latter of which was preserved solely due to the
incomparably dedicated care he received at St Giles Hospice.
Dying matters, as it is the way we make our exit from this world.
Whilst everyone constantly focuses on striving for progression in
terms of health, career and ambitions, most of the patients come
to St Giles knowing they are unable to carry on participating in
their lives as once was.
“I do know that this one thing is true
and I will hold onto it for the rest of my
life: my Grandpa had the best death
possible given the severity and brutality
of his illness. This is something that
gives me immense peace.”
“All the staff at the hospice operated in this space, which when
described to some may seem like a dreaded limbo between life
and death, an uncomfortable space about which discussions
should not take place. The staff at the hospice, however,
somehow managed to make this space seem a little less of an
agonising limbo, but a process in which they guide you through
as a family. While many times I spent at the hospice were not
idyllic, the place itself is a fabulous facility filled with some of
the most incredible people I have ever had the privilege to meet.
There was not one beat missed by all staff at all times. “Every part of me yearns to see him barge through the front door
and announce his arrival in his powerful voice and even more
impressive presence. I know that, terribly, this will never happen.
“My Grandpa never waited for what
he was in need of, and when the staff
came to help him they always did
so with heart-warming care and a
genuine desire to do all they could.” “What grounds me in this blinding sense of devastation is knowing
that we all as a family – and later in his illness thanks to St Giles –
enabled him to have the best life, and latterly, end of life care that
he could have had, given the extent of his disease. My Grandpa
has been with me through everything in my whole life and thanks
to the way in which his end of life care was handled by the staff at
St Giles, I was able to be with him in the last moments of his life.
I can never thank them enough for the care they gave him.”
“Dying matters, as we all knew it was coming for my Grandpa.
This is a reality that I am still struggling with, even though this
process for him is now over and he is at peace.
We can only support families like Alan’s thanks to the
generosity of our local community. Thank you for helping us
to be there for Alan and Martha.
Memory Tree
A special way to remember a loved one
Located at St Giles in Whittington, the tree is made up of 450 engraved brass
leaves and is a source of comfort and place of remembrance for many.
Display a leaf, engraved with the name of your loved one, on the tree for a
suggested minimum donation of £120, or a £10 regular gift over 12 months.
For more information please visit www.stgileshospice.com/memorytree,
email [email protected] or call 01543 432538.
01543 432031 I www.stgileshospice.com I [email protected]
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