“St Catherine’s isn’t what I thought at all”

A grandma has opened up about how St Catherine’s has made all the difference to her family after a devastating cancer diagnosis.

Eileen Mawdesley, from Euxton, is being cared for by our Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) team and our Hospice Care Assistants (HCAs) at home. Her husband Frank is also accessing emotional support to help cope with the shocking news after Eileen was told she had lung cancer late last year.

“I had no idea these services existed,” the mum-of-two said. “I just thought the hospice was where you went when nobody could do anything else to help you. But actually they make you see that you can live with cancer, and I can still enjoy spending time with my daughters, Nicola and Gayle, and my six beautiful grandchildren.

“St Catherine’s have been absolutely wonderful; I honestly don’t know what we would have done without them. My CNS nurse Nicola comes out to see me and she’s exceptional – she gets my medication sorted out and she rings other services for me.

“My HCAs, Kelly and Annie, have helped me with breathing problems by teaching me exercises to manage breathlessness, and they’ve sorted things out like a wheelchair and a seat for the shower to make things easier. I never knew I could have this kind of help from a hospice.

The 72-year-old added: “My husband didn’t cope very well with the news at first, he was frightened I think. But now he speaks to someone from St Catherine’s regularly on the phone and he’s doing much better now, which is reassuring for me too. The hospice really has been our saviour.

“All of the different support we need as a family has all come together now because of St Catherine’s. They really are getting us through this. I have nothing but 100% praise for them.”

Share with your friends!