Kath was admitted to Bolton Hospice in March 2020. Matthew, Kath's son, now tells her story in memory of his mum:

"During mum's near 35-year battle with cancer, she had fought and beat it 4 times. Unfortunately, on this last occasion, an unfair combination of breast, lung, brain and spinal cancer was just one step to far.

She was admitted to Bolton Hospice for the last month of her life during the height of the COVID pandemic. The impact of COVID meant that visitors weren’t allowed at the hospice for a period of time, and she was wholly reliant on the staff and nurses at the hospice for company and care. They not only did a fantastic and professional job in relation to the care and comfort that they provided in a work capacity for Mum during her final days, but to some extent they were also her family whilst we couldn’t get in to see her.

Nothing was too much trouble for the nurses, we had regular Facetime calls with Mum, shared some great moments, and even had a couple of Elvis karaoke sessions with her and the staff. This was all happening during a period of what was a truly sad time, but also a worrying and confusing one for everyone due to the pandemic.

Fortunately, due to the nurses and wonderful staff at Bolton Hospice, I did get to see Mum before she died and was there with her when her suffering ended on 19th April 2020, playing her Elvis songs on my phone and just talking to her as she slipped away.

Her last few days in this world weren’t unhappy or lonely ones and she had some fantastic fun with the staff right up until the end. Their care of Mum during this time was exemplary and their understanding, support and assistance with our family will never be
forgotten."

Matthew Pemrick