On 9th May 2019, Sue Oakley’s father, Philip Hall, passed away after a terminal diagnosis of Prostate Cancer. Her children, Tomos and Ffion, lost their grandfather. Philip is sorely missed by all that knew him, but more importantly, he will be fondly remembered by everybody. Sue and her children have chosen to support City Hospice to continue his legacy and to help us make a difference to those affected by life-limiting illnesses.
This is their story ahead of the City Hospice Sparkle Walk on Saturday 21st September 2019.
“City Hospice provided some sort of relief for all of us”, says Philip’s eldest daughter, Sue, after her Dad had passed away. “The City Hospice nurses were the only consistent thing at the end of Dad’s life and they were able to make his final days comfortable. They restored some order in a chaotic time for all of us around him. It was immensely important, and we are greatly appreciative of the work that City Hospice were and are able to carry out.” What’s more, support from City Hospice didn’t end when Philip passed away. There was always somebody on hand to support the family, who agreed that it was time to give something back to City Hospice. “No sum of money could express our gratitude to all of the nurses.”
The final stages of Philip’s life were as dignified as possible due to the City Hospice nurses caring for Philip at home. We pride ourselves on providing high quality care for patients in their own homes. Sue says the nurses made the entire family feel included in decisions that were made and ensured everybody was as comfortable as they could be with what was happening. “The word ‘hospice’ was a swear word in Dad’s home from the day he was diagnosed. Instead, the City Hospice doctors and nurses were known as “The girls.” Their adopted name was a safe word for us as a family. It gave us some relief knowing Dad was in good hands.”
Sue says the family are looking forward to the 10km walk in September and says it’s something for their family to look forward to. “We’re supporting City Hospice because Dad/Grampy would have gone above and beyond to give something back to the charity. By taking part in the Sparkle Walk, we’re thanking City Hospice staff on his behalf.”
The night-time event will take walkers from Insole Court in Llandaff, through Llandaff North and to our midway stop at Ty Hosbis (City Hospice HQ). Participants can then leave messages of remembrance in our Memory Garden and have some refreshments before heading back to Insole Court.
Sue and her daughter, Ffion, are looking forward to covering themselves in glitter and sparkling in the moonlight and her son, Tomos, is looking forward to, hopefully, reaching 30,000 steps on his FitBit!
This event is ideal for people looking to get into walking or running, those wanting to raise money for Cardiff’s local hospice or even parents looking for a night out with the kids. Whatever the weather, and whatever you are expecting, everybody will be able to take something away from the Sparkle Walk, all with the knowledge that they have been able to raise money for City Hospice. Anyone can take part and the inclusive nature of City Hospice will be felt by all on the night.
Sue finally says “City Hospice is a second-to-none charity. It operates at a local enough level to care, yet all of the staff have big enough hearts for each and every individual they look after. The Sparkle Walk is an opportunity for everybody to pay their dues to City Hospice and say thank you. Obviously, we need to remember why we are participating in the Walk and that will be at the forefront of our minds. But, what better opportunity is there to say thank you? What better opportunity will you get to raise money for a charity helping people across Cardiff? What better opportunity will you get to continue the legacy of your loved one(s) by walking in their memory? We need not say anymore, other than if you have been helped by City Hospice, you are in debt to those people who have given up their time to make your time more comfortable. At least we can begin to pay back what we owe to everybody at Ty Hosbis. This is a personal thank you to City Hospice from us, Sue, Tomos and Ffion, and we cannot wait for the Sparkle Walk!”
Thank you to Sue, Tomos and Ffion for sharing your story with us.
To register for the City Hospice Sparkle Walk, click here.
