Mike shares his St Ann’s Hospice experience
The National Hospice Legacy Campaign has been launched to promote the importance of legacy donations or gifts in will left by the general public to hospices such as St Ann's. As part of this campaign St Ann's has been speaking to patients, families, and those who have encountered St Ann's to show off the different aspects of hospice care. This is Mike's story.
Mike Morris was struggling with fatigue following his stage four prostate cancer diagnosis when his Macmillan nurse suggested he contact the St Ann’s Hospice Being You Centre.
At the time, Mike thought a hospice such as St Ann’s was a place people go at the end of their life, he did not realise the hospice offered services to help those dealing with a cancer diagnosis, dealing with lymphoedema, and so much more.
“I’ve completed about four courses with St Ann’s. I originally took on the fatigue course as I was really struggling with it at the time. That led onto a breathlessness course, a being you course, and there was also a social one,” Mike said.
The fatigue course has helped me enormously. I still get fatigued but I just know how to handle it now. They gave me strategies and lots of ways to plan my week out so I know when and where the heavy expenditure of my time will come because I only have a few hours in the day when I’m at my best Mike Morris, Being you Centre Service User
“The breathlessness one, which I suffer from quite a bit was another really useful course with many strategies and tools to help make it a little bit easier,” he added.
Mike was originally given six months to two years to live. He missed the signs of the cancer as he has had MS for over two decades and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He is now 27 months on from his diagnosis.
“The cancer has now spread to many parts of my body. I am now over two years on from my diagnosis and I am still responding well to treatment.”
“People should really look at St Ann’s and the work they do. It’s not just about end-of-life care, they have given me ways to live my life with my diagnosis and that is invaluable,” Mike said.
Mike has created a podcast about living with prostate cancer where he shares his experience and educates the public about the various signs and treatments of the disease, and so much more. You can find it here.
If you need any more information on legacy donations, St Ann’s are here to help. Please contact Heather, the In-Memory and Legacy Fundraiser on 0161 498 3631 or email legacies@sah.org.uk.