As told by his wife, Angela
Nigel was a real family man. He was outgoing (always up for a party!), well-respected, and just always happy. He was a rugby player and we both loved to ski.
After returning from a ski trip in February 2007, Nigel began to have problems with his eyesight. In the weeks that followed he made many trips to the doctors and opticians and got no answers until one day his eyesight worsened and he took himself to the hospital. In one phone call my whole world fell apart. At 39, Nigel was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer. In the months that followed, he was in and out of hospital and I cared for him at home until it became too much, and he was admitted to the Inpatient Unit at Overgate Hospice. Neither of us had been to the Hospice before but Nigel immediately felt at home and I was able to get a good night’s sleep, knowing he was there and in good hands. It never felt awkward to be at the hospice and I was able to cry and be supported in a way that felt comfortable.
By the time Nigel got to Overgate he didn’t have much longer left, but it was absolutely the right place for him, and I never felt there was anywhere else he should have been.
In the months following his death I struggled to come to terms with it. It was difficult to imagine a life without Nigel. Eventually I reached out and began bereavement counselling at Overgate. To say this saved me would not be an exaggeration.
As I learnt to live a life without Nigel I began fundraising for the Hospice and established the Brighouse Friends of Overgate group which is still going strong. The care Nigel and I received should be available to everyone if they need it, and it’s great to play even a small part in making that possible.
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