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Supporting each other

Donna and her sister Nicola will be walking Pier to Pier for the fourth year in memory of their dad, Geoff, who was supported by our hospice in the home team during his last month.

Geoff, who lived in Holland-on-Sea with his wife Lee, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in November 2021, and after a stay in hospital, was supported by the hospice in the home team and SinglePoint until he died a few days before Christmas.

Donna said:

“The first year we did the walk not long after my dad passed and it was a focus for us. Knowing that lots of people are there for the same reason, that we’ve all lost someone and we’re all supporting each other, the camaraderie of it all was just amazing which is why we kept doing it.

“Jo, one of the nurses that came from SinglePoint, got my dad straight away and the banter between them was amazing to see because it lifted him up. It was nice to see him socialise with someone he’d not met before, it was just the way she came in and she just knew how to be. It wasn’t nice to see him like that, but the way all the nurses were when they were there, lifted the mood.

“My mum didn’t want people coming in, she wanted to look after dad herself, he was quite a dignified man, and that’s why mum was so happy with the way he was treated by the nurses.

“Because the walk starts at either end, you end up passing the same people a couple of times and you’re hi-fiving people and saying ‘keep going!’ It keeps everyone motivated. It’s that atmosphere that we really enjoy and knowing we are doing it to help the nurses that helped us."

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