You may not have heard of Weldmar Hospicecare, I hadn't until my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2021 but the service they offer is vital.
My dad was an awesome dad, a force of nature. We had always been close, he was the one I went to when life went wrong, when relationships fell apart or I needed advice. We had the same sense of humour, He got me into running and we would run together, and I just enjoyed being around him, I was so lucky to have him. He was a strong, proud man, full of life so when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer it was devastating and unbelievable. I hadn't known a world without him and even when he was really ill I didn't believe he would die, this just could not be.
But this story doesn't have a happy ending, he wasn't immortal, Chemotherapy was fruitless and he quickly became ill.
It was at this point we were referred to Weldmar, a Dorset Charity that specialise in end of life care. They were an amazing support to us during the months that followed. Carers and nurses came in everyday to help us care for dad. This meant he was able to stay in his own home and we could be together as a family everyday. Even though it was a dreadful time we still made more memories during those weeks, we would laugh, talk, cry and play cards, it was precious time.
It's difficult to think back to those months and to talk about everything that went on, it felt like the rest of the world carried on as normal but we had stepped into this terrible bubble. But Weldmar were incredible, it wasn't only the practical things, the nurses coming in everyday to provide pain relief but it was the kindness and compassion they showed us and the advice about all sorts of things we knew nothing about. There was also the mental and emotional support they offered me and my family, helping us cope and talking to us about what to expect at different stages.
Weldmar only get 21% of their funding from the NHS so they rely on donations, we wouldn't have been able to cope without their support so we want to do all we can to raise money and ensure the service is there for others who go through this type of situation.
One of the reasons we started Little P's Treat Boxes was to enable us to support Weldmar and other people going through end of life care. We had previously held a few small fund raising events including a Coffee Morning and raffle which raised over £1,000 but that wasn't anywhere near enough after all they had done for us.
We are donating a minimum of £1 from the sale of every box through Work For Good, but we expect to increase that. We will also be donating some gift boxes for different events throughout the year. We can never repay Weldmar for all they have done for us but we will do all we can to try.
To find out more about Weldmar Hospicecare and the services they offer or to make a donation please visit their website www.weldmarhospicecare.org.
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