We recently celebrated International Nurses’ Day at the hospice; when we take time to remember the remarkable difference nurses everywhere, make to peoples’ lives.
You may remember us telling you about the wonderful love story of ‘The Runaways‘ Rick and Maureen Sperinck, who eloped to Gretna Green as teenagers.
Their daughter Angie popped into the hospice this week to pay our nurses a visit with a lovely homemade card and snacks galore (everything from donuts to biscuits to fruit) to say thank you, this International Nurses’ Day. Here’s what she had to say:
‘When I found out about International Nurses’ Day, I knew I wanted to do something to show my appreciation to the nurses at Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice, who cared not only for my dad, but for our whole family.
“The amount of care, support and empathy we got from the nurses made everything feel a bit easier. They were all so kind, and personable. For example one of the nurses saw me upset one day and took the time to talk to me and give me a cuddle. They were genuinely interested too, sitting with us and learning about dad and the family.
“My dad had a much more positive mindset during his time at the hospice. His face lit up when the nurses came into the room; he spoke so highly of them. Anything he wanted, they were there. My mum was also able to stay with him; they looked after her too.
“We got to spend our last family Christmas together at the hospice. The nurses came in dancing around, dressed as elves, and my dad immediately put on a Santa hat. We look back at the photos now and smile; we were all able to be together and it’s a really lovely memory. I’m so thankful for the selflessness of the nurses. Even on Christmas Day they sacrificed being with their own families, and that allowed me to be with my dad.
There honestly aren’t enough thank yous in the world to express how thankful I am. My family and I will never forget the nurses and what they’ve done here.”
