"The angels in disguise!"

When we received the earth shattering news that mum was diagnosed with cancer it rocked our world. She was only in her 50's and quite simply wasn't ready in many ways. She had a lot of life in her yet and with 2 grandchildren and another 2 on the way there was no way she was going to miss out.

Throughout the diagnosis mum was referred to many agencies including Strathcarron. The word 'hospice' put the fear into us all and mum consistently refused phone calls and house visits for a long time from them. We finally managed to convince her to at least listen to the services available.

Before long, mum was attending the hospice as a day patient between treatments. She met an incredible group of ladies we called 'the golden girls'. It was a chance for mum to open up and be honest about how she was feeling. This was something she struggled with at home and especially with family members. She used to use the words 'I'm fine' a lot which we later used to laugh about but she didn't have to be 'fine' when at daycare. She could ask about pain relief, the next steps, have a laugh and joked with some new friends. What an incredible atmosphere in daycare. She started to look forward to Mondays and the crafts, massages and relaxation techniques she would be doing that week. We still have a lot of her creations at home now and the grandchildren love to play and tell stories with them.

When the time came mum finally asked to go to Strathcarron hospice to lay her head. She was a patient there for 10 days before she finally passed peacefully.

Those 10 days will remain with my sister and I for the rest of our lives. Yes it was a sad time, yes it was difficult but I can honestly say it was also filled with loving and comforting memories.

My sister (who was heavily pregnant at the time) and I took turns to stay over with her in her room and in the last few days we all stayed with her as she requested to never be on her own.

The staff, nurses, volunteers are truly angels in disguise. They could not have made us feel more welcome in our new home for those 10 days. We always had someone to talk to, someone to ask questions, somewhere to go for food, somewhere to go for a walk and escape for a short time. It was a place where mum felt comfortable and at ease. A place she became very fond of and had some magical memories in.

The care we received as a family could not have been better both emotionally and physically. They would ask questions we struggled to ask her as her daughters. They made her feel at ease with what was happening to her body.

We still return to visit the hospice. Yes its filled with sadness but it's also filled with joy and happiness as this was the last place we ever saw mum.

Strathcarron will always remain a positive and hugely impactful part of our lives.