Ahead of the City Hospice Sparkle Walk, Steve Capper shares his story of why the charity means so much to him, and the support we gave to his wife Denise.
City Hospice provide an amazing and wonderful service to support all of us at a time when we need it most.
“We first became involved with City Hospice in 2016. After 4 years of chemotherapy for bowel cancer, my wife Denise was referred to the Hospice for palliative care and support. We were somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of lovely visitors we had but were ever so grateful. They helped us with palliative care needs, getting prescriptions, disability aids, welfare help. We didn’t realise some of the help available. At a time when you are totally devoted to caring for your loved one, City Hospice were such a tremendous help in doing so much to support us in a very stressful situation.
You truly think what would we have done without them?
Denise passed away at home in March 2016. It was her wish to be at home and this was undoubtedly helped by the City Hospice team.
They are champions of Cardiff and Wales! I am supporting them on the Sparkle Walk to thank them for their invaluable help they have provided me and my family.
Since then the Hospice have carried on their help with bereavement counselling to me in 1:1 and group sessions. Several support groups I am in, have grown out of the bereavement coffee morning meetings too. It has helped me very much in dealing with this new situation, I feel much stronger as a result.
To thank them and as a mark of how I have been helped dealing with such a loss I have been volunteering to help the Hospice in the office and in the bereavement coffee mornings. Here I can help anyone going through similar experiences, I try to do my bit.
I enjoy walking and used to often walk and cycle the Taff Trail with Denise.
So it will be quite fitting to walk along the Taff for the Sparkle Walk, as a poignant memory of her. I also walk with friends from the Hospice anyway now so it will be good to have a social, enjoyable and fundraising time for such a great cause. I am looking forward to walking with friends with purpose….whatever the weather!! Whilst I don’t know how much I’ll raise, I do know that every pound supports an invaluable service. This is worth far more than the cash amount in impact on people’s lives.
You don’t realise how important that help is until you’re in that situation. It is a pleasure to support them and I encourage everyone to donate to this wonderful charity.
Even better than supporting walkers become one yourself and sign up to the Sparkle Walk. The more support on the night the better it will be. You will be helping a charity that has a profound effect to help people’s lives when they really need it.”
The City Hospice Sparkle Walk takes place at 9pm on Saturday 21st September 2019, and starts at Insole Court, Llandaff. To register please visit our Sparkle Walk page
For more information on the support offered to the families of our patients please visit the Families & Patients section of our website
