"Lost my mum but found a family"

My Mother found out she had cancer. She fought through radiation therapy in her late 80s but couldn’t stop it. The south Lanarkshire carers and District Nurses were great with her and did all they could to keep her comfortable and stay on top of the pain. She was offered to visit Kilbryde Hospice just to see if she could benefit, but the first word of hospice and it was a big no, as you can imagine.

Eventually her pain was so severe and with several infections she allowed me to contact the Hospice to ask for help managing the pain. They called the next morning and said a bed was available and they would send an ambulance, Within an hr 2 ambulance drivers picked her up in her night gown and overnight bag and I was following.

We arrived not really knowing what to expect, I thought a hospice would be a sad, depressing place with staff similar to nursing homes. I couldn’t have been more wrong, we were treated like special guests, everyone introducing themselves and welcoming my mother into the hospice. They instantly lifted our mood and took charge straight away to try to get on top of her pain. 

The room had a large en suite and a view over the garden and she was now coping with the pain level and had a big smile on my daily visits. Her appetite increased and my stress decreased. I knew when I left her she was being well looked after with skilled, caring companionate people who treated us like family in her time there. I often walked into her room with one of the girls sitting beside her comforting her when she was ill or confused. 

Kilbryde did more for our family than care for my mother, sometimes after a visit I’d be confused why she was acting differently but on my way to the exit I could freely talk to the carers, nurses, girls on reception, even the cafe staff, and process what was going on instead of taking it home and worrying. Nothing was a bother for them they must have been handpicked each and everyone including the cleaning ladies .

I went back recently with the charity box we had collected from the funeral but it wasn’t sad walking into the building where she died, it felt like going back to see family, and they are a family . This is a very special place with amazing people I honestly can’t thank them enough.