“St Michael’s allowed me to be a wife again to Dave, instead of just a carer. I’ll be forever grateful.”
Julie Worsfold: From the moment we entered St Michael’s, we felt calm and reassured
A little over two years ago, Julie Worsfold knew very little about St Michael’s, or the role of hospices in general.
“I just thought they were very dark places where people came to spend their final days,” she says. “I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
Julie’s husband, Dave, initially spent four weeks on our Inpatient Unit after deteriorating following news his prostate cancer had spread.
“We were struggling at home and just couldn’t get his symptoms under control,” said Julie. “From the moment we entered St Michael’s, we felt calm and reassured. I’ll never forget walking into the Inpatient Unit for the first time. There was just a huge beam of sunlight shining down, and it felt like a wonderful warm hug.
“Just being at St Michael’s, and experiencing that love and care from the staff, helped me feel as though a weight had been lifted. I felt for the first time in a long while that I could be a wife to Dave again, instead of just a carer. They gave me hope.”
Dave’s experience of St Michael’s was equally positive, and it led to him making a decision about his care.
“During his time here, he changed his feelings about dying at home, telling me when the time came that he wanted to die at St Michael’s,” Julie added. “Dave felt safe at St Michael’s, and that reassured me and our sons. Nobody took away the stress like St Michael’s did.”
Later, Dave and Julie learnt that his cancer had spread again and was now affecting his spinal cord. He spent time in hospital, and a couple of days at home, before returning to St Michael’s. “I think he knew what was happening when we came back to St Michael’s. He whispered ‘goodbye’ to our village as we drove out. The Hospice continued to be exceptional, involving us all in every decision made about Dave’s care, and continually keeping us up-to-date.”
Dave died on Saturday, 1st June – he and Julie’s 39th wedding anniversary.
“He was happy and content, and everyone at St Michael’s was full of love and compassion, as they had been throughout,” said Julie. “We were able to visit him one last time after he’d died, and it was very special.
“Without St Michael’s, it would have been the worst time ever for us both. I was wandering around in the dark before finding the Hospice, and their guidance helped us through such a difficult time.”