"Help in the worst of days"

In January 2019 we thought we had lost mum. She has a chronic blood disorder and attends laurel house every month. She has been fighting for 12 years and this time around the chemo hit her hard.. in her mind she gave up and did not want to fight anymore and as her mental health declined her physical health did too. She was admitted to C7 in Antrim and at that stage she was being hoisted and required so much support. In 6 months she went from being feisty 80yr old to someone who needed every support for personal care. We were so grateful for the nurses on the ward who never failed to chat and smile when they were in and the physio who pushed her back onto her feet. She was seen everyday by the medical team and although it was hard to hear the consultant was very honest about the consequences of stopping chemo. At the start we appreciated the single room but it took me to push her to leave the room... to challenge her to be sociable and to simply walk down the corridor. I think mum felt like she needed permission to leave her room. 

Now over 6 months after that admission and stopping chemo mum is back on her feet and progressing well. She is definitely frail from the admission to hospital but the team at laurel house take their time each month to talk to her and my dad. They even know the ladies who deliver the cup of tea in afternoons at the clinic. A big thank you from mum, me and all the family. We may not have her for much longer but we are very grateful she is still with us