David has been supporting Light up a Life since 2019 in memory of his wife, Joan, and more recently in memory of his daughter, Trisha, who he sadly lost suddenly last year.  

David remembers Joan; “We had a very happy life together, we went to lots of places. In later life we would go on coach trips to the coast and we would quite enjoy that. Until eventually Joan couldn’t travel as far anymore.” 

Joan had been living with breast cancer for several years, when her health deteriorated in the last couple of years, her and David spent time at our Wellbeing Group;

“I became a carer for her. When she was first prescribed respite care, a minibus would come and pick her up and take her to the hospice on a Friday. She really used to love it, they used to do all sorts of crafts and activities, we used to walk around the garden and look at various things. Sometimes they invited other people as well, I went with my daughter Trisha once, we had Christmas Dinner and I won the raffle!  

“She went every Friday for couple of years and then when they stopped, a lady would come to the house to sit with Joan and keep her company so I could pop out. Towards the end, we had a nurse from the hospice come overnight, which was such a relief and meant I could sleep.  

“On her last night she had got a glass of water at the side of the bed, but that was about empty. And she kept saying “I can’t go to sleep”. She loved Shaun the Sheep, so I said just think about the Shaun the Sheep bit when they all stood on one another’s backs to look over the fence. And I went out to fill the glass up and when I came back she had gone, but she’d got a lovely smile on her face and I thought she was thinking about Shaun the sheep.  

“At her funeral, the Reverand waived his fee, so I put that together with whatever we collected to give to the hospice and I’ve been donating ever since. I heard about Light up a Life through the newsletter and I always remember Joan through that and sadly now Trisha as well.”

Help others like Joan and David

Our care is special and is a lifeline for people caring for loved ones at the end of their life. We offer relief in their darkest moments and help more people die at home surrounded by home comforts and loved ones.

Please consider a donation to our Light Up a Life appeal. Your kindness today will bring light and warmth to a family facing the toughest of times.

We will add your dedication as a star on our virtual ‘Night Sky’, which you can view here.

This year, you can also choose to have a special lantern to light in their memory – request one when you make a dedication on our Night Sky.