When Lisa Wright’s husband Tyron was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2018, their family’s life was turned upside down. With the help of friends and family, they were able to make memories that will last a lifetime, some of these which Lisa has kindly shared with us.

‘My husband, and Daddy to our beautiful children, Tyron (Tiy) died at St Wilfrid’s Hospice in September 2019 with complications from bowel cancer.

‘He was diagnosed in April 2018 with stage 4 aggressive bowel cancer and was given 18 months to live, but we always held on to the fact that miracles do happen. After surgery and the first round of chemotherapy things started to look up, but after a second round six months later, Tiy deteriorated. He was then given a new chemo treatment and again started to pick up. He was even offered specialist treatment in Basingstoke, but sadly we never got there.

‘Tiy was then given six months to live because the cancer had spread to his liver and lungs, and a CT scan showed that it was also in the bones and further widespread than what they had first thought. His six-month life expectancy had now gone down to just days. I will never forget those words being spoken to us and the look on his face. That’s when our journey with the hospice began.

‘To sum up what he meant to us would take a lifetime, but to keep it short he was our world; the gentlest giant you would ever meet with a pure heart of gold. I never once heard a person say a single bad word about him and he was the first to be there to help anyone out no matter what. He was the kindest person I ever had the privilege of knowing. He loved to hug and still managed to hug me with all the strength he could gather the day before he died – a memory forever etched in my brain. He was an amazing Daddy and would do anything for his kids.

‘One of our favourite memories would have to be our wedding day on the 27^th November 2018. We never got to celebrate our first anniversary together. We had always wanted to get married but never had the money, so when Tiy was given six months to live our friends and family rallied round to make our dream come true. Tiy’s words were “the best day of my life, ever”.

‘I am so pleased to have those memories that will last a lifetime and to have so many happy memories made over the years for the kids to treasure forever. Without the care and support that we received from the hospice throughout our journey, life and the memories we made through his cancer could have been a completely different story.

‘The love, compassion and dignity shown towards not only Tiy, but every single one of his visitors was amazing. Tiy loved to have a chat, joke and giggle with the staff, which kept his spirits up. Nothing was ever too much to ask. They really went above and beyond their duty of care to make sure that he was comfortable and we as a family were also cared for during the worst time of our lives. We will forever be eternally grateful to each and every one of the staff. Thank you.’

If you have been inspired by Lisa’s story and would like to help us continue supporting patients, like Tiy, and their families, please consider making a donation at stwhospice.org/donate. Every gift, large or small, will make an enormous difference. Thank you for your support.