During this time Evie and Ava would visit their dad at the Hospice every day, making the most of the time they had left together. They would play on the swings in the Hospice garden where Anthony could see them from his window, or they would spend quality time together as a family playing Uno and Ker-Plunk in his room.  

Happy memories were made when a family friend arranged for them to make castings of their hands, and when their dog Benji made a surprise visit to the Hospice one day. Anthony and Gemma celebrated their wedding anniversary at the Hospice. 

“I'd spend the night at home and then arrive in the morning after dropping the girls off at school,” remembers mum, Gemma. “The girls and I slept over a few times; we had sleep overs, and we’d watch I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!”. 

“So, although sad because you never want to be at a hospice, it was a positive experience. It was a lovely and peaceful environment and everyone was lovely. The surroundings are beautiful. We were here in November and I remember standing by the pond just having five minutes to myself.  

“And even towards the end, there was no rush to leave the room; we could stay as long as we wanted, which really helped.” 

“He was a big kid, always dancing around the kitchen in the morning. He was an amazing daddy.” 

Counselling and emotional support continued after Anthony died.  “I had counselling with Sue because my dad passed away,” explains Ava. “We did activities each week to make me feel better.” 

During one session Ava painted hearts on a plant pot and later put it on her dad's grave. Ava could use the sessions with Sue to express creatively how she felt about everything that had happened. Knowing her daughters could have emotional support was a relief to Gemma: 

“I think it was harder to speak to me about things since they didn't want to upset me, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders a little bit.” 

Evie and Ava are now keen fundraisers for St Helena, something which their dad encouraged them to do while he was staying at the Hospice. Ava has even walked across Lego in bare feet to raise money! As well as organising raffles and joining in St Helena’s community fun day, the family are planning to take part in some of this year’s big events. 

“We just want to support the Hospice as much as we can for how they supported us,” Gemma explains.  “Anthony was very much like ‘please support, please support’. I just think the Hospice makes such a difference. I think we'll always support.  

“Our grief comes in waves, but we do have some good days now which it what Anthony would have wanted.”

This story may not be published elsewhere without express permission from St Helena Hospice.