Share Your Story

Many people don’t feel comfortable talking about illness, dying, death and bereavement. We want to change this.
Your voice is powerful in helping us move and impact people. By sharing stories like yours we can get people talking, change attitudes, challenge stigma and help as many people as possible by letting them know about the work we do at Overgate Hospice.
 
By talking about what you’ve been going through you can help us raise awareness of the needs of people with life-limiting conditions and ensure they remain a priority.

 

How can you share your story?

All you need to do is click on the button below and answer the questions, giving us as much information as you can and feel comfortable with. If we need more details someone will get in touch to have a chat.

Share Your Story Here 

 

 

Sheila's and Felicity's stories

Hi I’m Sheila and I have recently been attending Overgate’s Virtual Day Hospice. 

I have been battling cancer on and off for the last six years, with numerous invasive treatments and countless trips to hospital. But 18 months ago I was told that there was nothing more that the doctors could do other than provide pain relief. This was devastating and I felt abandoned, unsure of what to expect or where to turn to for help. Eventually, I was put in touch with the Palliative Care Nurses who were incredible and gave me the support I needed. 

The nurses then put me in touch with Angela at Overgate’s Day Hospice for additional support and advice. I was invited to attend their weekly sessions that take place via Zoom however I am not very good with technology so this didn’t seem like the right thing for me. But one of the nurses from the Hospice came to my house to help me to log on to the session and after a few weeks I felt confident enough to do this myself. 

These sessions have been invaluable to me over the last few months, providing me with much needed interaction, conversations with other people in a similar position and some fun. I enjoy the activities with Naomi; she is so full of energy and creativity! 

Read Sheila's full story here

Hi, I’m Felicity and I spent last Christmas at Overgate Hospice while they cared for my mum Barbara.

My mum was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in November 2019 which came as a huge shock to the whole family. In the weeks that followed my mum’s health deteriorated and she was in an increasing amount of pain. On 18th December she was admitted to Overgate Hospice to help with symptom management and pain control. My sister and I hoped this would give Mum a chance to relax and allow us the time to get a care plan in place for her when she came home.
The minute we arrived the staff could not do enough for us. Wayne was the first nurse we saw and he was so warm and friendly and immediately made us feel at ease. The Hospice was nothing like I imagined, it is smaller than I expected and much more relaxed and homely. Mum was made comfortable in her bed and the doctors and nurses took the time to talk to us both. Mum’s health worsened on the first few days of her stay and she was feeling low. Since her diagnosis Mum had barely left the house other than for hospital and doctors appointments but four days after she arrived at the Hospice, we got wrapped up and headed out to the gardens for some fresh air. We were able to spend time together as a family in the peaceful and beautiful gardens and it was the best day we’d had with her in weeks. We took some wonderful photos together and it was truly a special day. I will be forever grateful that the Hospice made this possible for us.

Read Felicity's full story