Patient and family stories

Shared by Neil’s sister, Sue.

Neil was my younger brother. He was strong, independent and very tall with a big heart and love for his whole family. Neil loved nature and the great outdoors – when we were younger, we would go skiing and take trips on conservation holidays. Later in his life, Neil planted around 1,000 trees in his field in Wales.

Shared by Jose’s daughter, Isa Filipa.

My Dad, Jose Carlos Rodrigues Cavaleiro, was a wonderful person; he loved life and his family even more. Sadly, in October 2021 Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we were told he only had a few months left to live. We were devastated, but he showed strength and happiness even though he was hurting because he didn’t want anyone to see his pain.

Dad was in and out of hospital as it was very hard to control his pain and sickness. The Hospital at Home team started visiting Dad at home to provide him with the medication he needed. We were so grateful for their visits, as it meant Dad didn’t have to travel to the hospital and could be at home with his family instead.

Shared by Richard’s wife, Shona.

My darling husband Richard and I grew up and went to school together. In early 1984 we realised we were more than just friends and our relationship blossomed quickly – we married in November the same year. We had a fantastic life together and our love for one another only got stronger as the years went by. We enjoyed many holidays abroad and in later years bought a touring caravan that we used two or three times a month. It was on the last day of one of our caravan visits, 28 August 2023, that Richard woke up feeling unwell with a sore throat. It took several trips to different doctors before he was sent for investigation and a diagnosis of lung cancer was confirmed in October.

Shared by Ryan’s partner, Nicki.

My name is Nicki and my partner, Ryan, was just 36 years old when he received end-of-life care at Sobell House. Our son, Riley, wants other people to hear his Daddy’s story.

Ryan was a kind and caring man. He was a good friend, a great partner and a brilliant Dad to our young son, Riley. Ryan was the type of person who would do anything for anyone, and if someone needed his help they knew that they could always rely on him to be there for them. A postman by trade, Ryan was popular, sociable, and charismatic with a special talent for getting out of trouble by simply saying ‘I love you’.

Shared by Denise’s daughter, Sarah.

My mum Denise, Neesie to those who knew and loved her, was admitted to Sobell House in October 2014 after her melanoma cancer treatment failed.

Mum was hoping to make the trip home to stay in our local end of life care facility but was unfortunately too poorly for transport, so she spent the last week or so of her life at Sobell House. My two sisters and I were able to stay with Mum the entire time, taking it in turns to sleep by her bedside each night while the other two slept in a room down the corridor.

Shared by Carol’s daughter, Ella.

My beautiful Mum, Carol Brown, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in April 2023. Her diagnosis came as a massive shock; she’d never suffered with poor health before, she was always the one looking after us when we were poorly. Mum was invincible in my eyes.

Mum worked in care and spent a lot of time at Sobell House visiting her patients. Because of this, she instantly knew in late June that the time had come and she needed round-the-clock care at the hospice. As you may know, when someone is in the last stages of their life, they can become quite agitated, but it was a relief to see that Mum calmed down as soon as she knew she was going to Sobell House.