Sandra’s story
Sandra Dyal, a 60 year old mother of two from Shifnal, talks about the care her husband received at Severn Hospice.
The first connection that I had with Severn Hospice was when their Outreach Nurse, Jan Vail, came to visit my husband, Colin. He had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and Jan was wonderful. She was so straight talking and only a phone call away. She was always there for him. We just didn’t realise how much the Severn Hospice does.
When we heard the word ‘Hospice’ for the first time it was frightening. We thought of it as somewhere that you won’t be coming out of. Then when Colin went in to stay we all realised that the Hospice is so much more, there are so many people there that care for you, and they looked after our whole family.
After Colin passed away at the age of 60, I stayed in touch with Jan and was referred to the Hospice bereavement group. After I had finished my counselling, I realised that I wanted to do something more for the Hospice because of all the care they had given to Colin. I started to volunteer when the Hospice in Telford opened, working with the medical secretaries. I realised that the Hospice needs our time as volunteers just as much as they need donations. I didn’t know what to expect as a volunteer. I expected people to be very sombre, but all the staff are so friendly and jolly, it’s a fun place to work.
