Ian and Beth's story
Patient and Family Stories
Ian and Beth met whilst Ian was playing football. Beth would come to watch Ian play whenever she could. Beth was a cake decorator at Stanniforths bakers in Rotherham and baked at home too. She brought joy to so many with her amazing cakes some asking for wedding cakes, then christening and then birthday cakes such were her creations.
Beth was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder and then a secondary cancer of the lung and by December 2015 Beth and Ian knew that her illness was terminal. That Christmas they kept it from the boys and told them in the New Year.
Ian described Beth as loyal and brave and passionate and a great Mum to their three boys David, Michael and Andrew. Throughout her life she had dedicated herself to her family including her six grandchildren.
Beth had always had a love of cooking and baking, she taught Ian to bake too. Her treatment over the course of 2016 took away her sense of taste and her appetite and by October 2016 Beth needed full time care.
She was apprehensive and anxious and knew that the Hospice was the place she needed to be at.
It’s a testament to Beth’s selflessness that she wanted to tell everyone what a wonderful job Ian had done looking after her and her moving to the Hospice was no reflection on the care he had provided her at home.
From that moment Ian describes the feeling of safety and security that they both felt on coming into the Hospice. Beth had been so poorly when she arrived but through the care and expertise of the staff, she was soon making the most of every day.
Without the Hospice, Ian says Beth’s last 9 weeks would have been very different,
Ian said, “How do I express the love and care and compassion shown to us from everyone in the Hospice, I don’t have the words to express how much.”
Thank you, Ian, for just saying that you have expressed it perfectly.
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