Hospice helps to make car loving grandmother’s wish come true.
A Dorset man has paid tribute to the hospice which made it possible for his terminally ill wife to celebrate her lifelong passion for fast cars.
Steve Sims from Verwood told how the Macmillan Unit in Christchurch was able to manage his wife Denise’s “unimaginable” pain as she neared the end of a four-year battle with bowel cancer, restoring her dignity in her final weeks of life and giving her the chance to enjoy one last drive in a stunning classic Porsche.
He explained: “Denise was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2022 and was successfully treated. But the cancer returned just under two years ago.
“She underwent masses of different treatment but during the last six months, because her bowel was obstructed, she couldn’t absorb the oral morphine she was being given in hospital and the pain she suffered often left her contorted in agony.”
Denise had to give up her job as a children’s nursery worker which she adored.
Steve said: “On the day she received a message saying she was going into the Macmillan Unit she was just so relieved. She knew that I was struggling to manage her care at home and that the hospice would be able to control her pain through 24-hour care and a specialist syringe driver.”
He continued: “The hospice team aren’t just medical experts; they are also deeply empathetic and caring. Denise finally started receiving pain management which was working, and she could smile again. My wife was back with me and although we knew she did not have long we were able to be together, talk, just sit and know all her needs were being tended to.”
Denise grew up in a family of motor enthusiasts and loved fast cars. Her brother Chris Briant is still a competitor in Hillclimb events with Dorset’s Woolbridge Motor Club and just weeks before Denise died, he arranged for his friend Peter Bailey who owns a classic replica Porsche to visit the Unit and take her on a spin around the Spur Road.
“The physios at the unit made sure Denise was comfortable and ready for the experience and when she saw the car, she just burst into tears,” said Steve.
“Some of the doctors, nurses and other unit staff came out to watch them drive off. It was such a special experience for her.”
Denise died at the Mac Unit on August 7, aged 65.
Steve said: “I had been sleeping by the side of her bed for the past two weeks. As with everything this was just made possible, without any fuss or questions.
“The care was simply outstanding, so, when I found out that the Macmillan Unit is, despite its name, independent and run almost entirely by fundraising, I was absolutely astounded.
“When you see what they do for so many hundreds of patients and their families across Dorset and Hampshire each year, funded by their charity Macmillan Caring Locally, you realise what unsung heroes they are and it just made me want to help in any way I can.”
Steve, along with Denise’s two daughters Steph and Danielle, her four grandchildren and friends and other family members will hold a celebration of Denise’s life and a scattering of her ashes at Wimborne Woodland Burial Ground in September.
Steve said: “Instead of buying everyone a drink afterwards I will be donating to the Unit on behalf of each of our guests and inviting them to donate if they can. I feel it’s the least I can do for the outstanding care, dignity and love Denise was shown in her final weeks.
“It will also be lovely to know that this donation will go towards helping another patient and their family receive that same excellent care in their last days.
I’ll never forget what the Mac Unit did for us.”
