Christmas comes early at St Ann’s
It was Christmas Day in October at St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green, as one of our patients and her whole family came together for a festive party.
When Christine Budgen came to the hospice she shared with the doctors and nurses that her wish was to spend Christmas at the hospice with her family. The team and all of Christine’s family made that a reality with Christmas Dinner, festive decorations, party games and even a visit from Father Christmas.
Christine’s daughter Julie Ashton said: “Christmas is such a special time for the family and we have always loved spending time together. Mum has always loved it when all of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are together.
“As soon as the team at St Ann’s heard that she wanted to celebrate Christmas they all rose to the challenge and nothing was too much trouble. The nurses, physiotherapists and catering team all helped in any way they could to make the day possible.”
Christine and her partner Ken, along with her four children and their partners, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren transformed the Being You Centre Lounge for the day, decorating the room from top to bottom with Christmas decorations.
The Catering team at St Ann’s cooked a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and the physiotherapy team arranged for Christine to be able to sit in a special chair rather than in her bed so she could really be part of the festivities.
Nothing was too much trouble for the team at St Ann’s as we planned the party, and then throughout the day they were checking on us to make sure Mum was comfortable and happy. They wanted to make the day so special for her and that meant such a lot to us. Julie Ashton, Christine’s daughter
Father Christmas visited the party and gave out presents to all the grandchildren and great grandchildren, and Christine had written Christmas cards to all her family.
As soon as Mum arrived at the hospice we were able to spend so much more quality time with her. When she was at home we were caring for her around the clock, on top of looking after our own families and working, so it was a lot and we were all exhausted. Straight away at St Ann’s, Mum felt safe and has been so well cared for and from day one it was a relief for all of us. The staff have treated us all like family and they are doing such a good job. We can’t thank them enough for caring for our mum. Nicola Ward, Christine's daughter
