Your Hospice, Your Stories - 5
"The care we received from the nurses,
doctors, support staff and countless
volunteers at St Elizabeth Hospice was
second to none," explained Claire Dorman,
whose husband, James, received support from
our team until his death, aged 37-years-old,
on 18 November 2022.
"James was the kindest person I have ever
met and he was the most incredible husband
and Daddy. Our two children adored him, we
all did. We were so, so lucky to have him.
"He was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in
March 2020 and he dealt with chemotherapy,
radiotherapy and a huge operation in 2020 like
the total hero he was and at the beginning of
2021 we were told he was cancer free.
"Following this, we bought our house in April
2021 and all moved in feeling unbelievably
lucky to have overcome what we'd been
through. Sadly, at the beginning of 2022, we
were told the cancer was back and it had also
spread to his lymph nodes, lungs and liver.
"At this point we were told James' care was
palliative and they could no longer look to
cure him, just extend his life as much as
possible. To say we were devastated wouldn't
even begin to explain it.
"Over the course of 2022, James faced many
setbacks and side effects, and in October,
we were told the treatment simply wasn't
working and James had weeks, rather than
months to live.
"The St Elizabeth Hospice nurses came to
visit us at home, referred us to wonderful
physiotherapists to try and make James more
comfortable at home.
"In November 2022, James was incredibly
unwell at home and ended up being taken to
Ipswich Hospital in an ambulance. He spent
one night at the hospital and the next morning
I phoned the hospice on their 24/7 OneCall
phone number.
"The hospice arranged for James to be
moved to the hospice straight away. We
were moved into a family room, with a sofa,
TV and beautiful windows looking out onto
the garden and pond.
"I was able to stay with James every second
of the six days he was being cared for on the
hospice's inpatient unit. I was incredibly well
looked after and supported by the staff during
that time.
"Our children were able to come and visit
their Daddy for their last cuddles and kisses
and the staff even took them to feed the fishes
in the pond.
"We want to raise as much as we can for this
brilliant charity so it can continue supporting
more families like ours. Thanks to the hospice
team we were able to enjoy precious moments
together as a family and I can never thank
them enough for this."
Claire Dorman's
Hospice Story
James Dorman with his children
James Dorman with his children
"Our children were able
to come and visit their
Daddy for their last
cuddles and kisses."