When Penny arrived on the Inpatient Unit at St Wilfrid’s she was very poorly and struggling to breathe. With the help of our team of doctors, nurses and therapists not only is she well enough to return home, but she also managed to attend her daughter’s wedding. Below, Penny tells us what that support has meant to her, husband Phil, and children Grace and Joe.

“When I arrived as a very poorly patient at St Wilfrid’s, my greatest wish was to see my daughter Grace get married 10 days later. The doctors said we’ll do our very best to get you there, and they did. They worked out how much oxygen I’d need and slowly altered my medication times to fit with the ceremony, but what touched me the most was that they arranged to have my hair cut and styled for the occasion. It was a wonderful day, and I made sure the wedding was about my daughter and son-in-law, not me and my illness.

I ended up being a hospice patient after a cancer diagnosis which started with a varicose vein in my leg. I generally felt well, just a bit tired like most women at my stage of life, but I thought I should get it checked out.

After lots of tests, last September they confirmed I have stage four incurable EGFR-positive lung cancer. It’s a new strain mostly affecting women of my age (57) who have never smoked. I’m trying to raise awareness and, along with the EGFR-positive community, fighting for funding, research and early screening to make a difference to future generations.

Once I’d received my diagnosis, I started taking tablets and had chemo to hopefully prolong my life. I then had a heart attack and had to temporarily stop treatment. It was a scary time. Things got worse and after a 25-hour visit to A&E, I was put in touch with St Wilfrid’s. The staff were very reassuring and instructed us to call the telephone advice service, Hospice Line, if we needed anything. We’ve rung it quite a few times since.

Eventually, I felt too ill to be at home, so an ambulance took me to the hospice. It was such a positive moment when the ambulance doors opened and the St Wilfrid’s nurses were there – it literally felt like a weight had been taken off our shoulders. It was just what we needed – someone to take over and say, ‘it’s not going to be fine, it’s going to be hard, but we’re going to try and make it as good for you as possible’.

We really appreciate that the staff not only listen to how and what you’re feeling as the patient, they also look after the rest of the family. They always ask how they are, if they’re sleeping okay, if they need anything.

One day I was coughing up a bit of blood and nurse Joanna reassured me and said, ‘I don’t want you to be worried about this because I’m not worried about this,’ and she just sat with me. It was just what I needed.

I’ve used other services the hospice provides, including complementary therapy, and the whole family has been offered counselling. Their Occupational Therapist Alice visited my home to see what adaptations could be made so I could return there. People are surprised when I tell them I can go home but that’s only because I’ll still be supported by the hospice team.

I don’t know where my family and I would be without St Wilfrid’s. I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but they saved us all. None of us wants to get cancer and none of us anticipates being that ill, but I think when you do and you get the support they offer, that is worth its weight in gold.”

Find out more about EFGR-positive cancer

Picture caption: Penny at her daughter’s wedding with husband Phil and friend Sarah, and during her stay at St Wilfrid’s.