When Tracy Clifton was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer her family and friends were left reeling. How, they wondered, could someone so active and full of life be hit by this cruel disease. Tracy’s partner of 15 years, Colin, cared for her for 18 months and says the support they both received from the community hospice helped them not only to cope, but to live the best life they could, for as long as they could.
What keeps Colin Campbell going on the toughest days since losing his lovely partner Tracy is building on her love of life-long learning, and the many and varied hobbies that made her such a force of nature.
Tracy – who was just 56 when she died in June 2022 on the hospice's inpatient unit (IPU), having been diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer – was someone whose diary was constantly full. She loved travelling, baking, gardening and spending time with friends and had also enjoyed a fulfilling career in the rail industry.
“Tracy always encouraged me to try new things,” Colin recalls. “What keeps me going without her now is things like the garden that she worked so hard on that I try to maintain. It brings me satisfaction and comfort to know that I’m continuing what she started and experiencing it on her behalf brings me joy.
Tracy was a keen baker
“She was also a keen baker so I’ve been trying my hand at that too. I’ve made bread, fruit loaf, even Christmas stollen. She’d be impressed by the fact I’m learning new things but it’s helping me to keep her memory alive.”
Tracy’s zest for life was infectious, and when she and Colin were referred to the Community Hospice a year after her cancer diagnosis, the personalised care they received in her last few months made a world of difference to them both. It meant that even in those final weeks Tracy was enjoying life as much as she could, and Colin says he often reflects on that.
"Being a carer can be very challenging, but the hospice helped ease my worries."
“The hospice is there for the local community,” Colin explains. “People with no experience of the care it offers may think it’s somewhere you go to die but it’s so much more than that, its focus is so broad.
“The support it offers carers and family members is key. Being a carer can be very challenging, but the hospice helped ease my worries. The team at the hospice made something terrible more bearable and ensured that at the end of her life Tracy was well looked after and comfortable.”
The Community Hospice supported Colin as he cared for Tracy at home for several months, before she was admitted to the IPU a month before she died.
“When Tracy was in the IPU those of us who loved her had comfort just in knowing where and how well looked after she was,” Colin says. “The hospice was there for me as Tracy’s partner, her family and friends, everyone involved with her really.
“The hospice managed to give me back the old Tracy I knew and loved and I’ll never be able to thank them enough.”
“The hospice’s incredible team gave us our old Tracy back. One with a smile and happiness – not burdened by pain and illness. And crucially they talked at length to me too about how I was coping, what I needed, they recognised that I was on my own journey.”
Tracy’s room at the hospice had a picturesque view of its sensory garden and Colin says that gave her a lift as someone who was green-fingered herself.
“Staff used to bring her out to enjoy the space in the sunshine. The hospice focused on her wishes and care and made sure she was a central part of the process. Her parents and friends could come and visit her, and her brother was even able to bring in his dogs to see her.
“The staff and volunteers washed Tracy’s hair and did her nails which made her feel so much better and when she fancied a G&T one day she had one brought to her on the hospice drinks trolley.
“Even just a few days before she died during the Platinum Jubilee weekend Tracy was able to take part in the hospice celebrations. We were able to make some wonderful memories.
“It’s all those little things that help you to live the best life you can, for as long as you can. The hospice managed to give me back the old Tracy I knew and loved and I’ll never be able to thank them enough.”
Colin and Tracy at Christmas
Colin says the Community Hospice will always be part of his life and he now supports the charity as much as he can, including by sharing Tracy’s story.
“The hospice remains in my mind and always close to me and my advice to anyone starting out on the journey that we were on would be reach out for help. I wish I’d known even earlier about the care they offer. What the community hospice did was to really improve our quality of life in the months they were involved with us.
“When you experience the level of care that Tracy and I did you don’t ever forget.”