If you knew John, then you knew that he had boundless amounts of love…for his family, friends, skiing in powder, fishing by a lake, biking, mountains, hiking and pulling some bends on his motorbike. He loved his life deeply.
Metastatic melanoma cut his love of life short.
He wanted to live, love and make wishes, right until the end. His most important and final wish was to die peacefully at home surrounded by love. I felt privileged to take on the role of wish granter, but for this final wish we needed support.
Whilst we were blessed with support from family and friends - near and afar - we couldn't have done it without the care from the home hospice Cesta Domů (the journey home).
But what did this mean to John?
It meant:
receiving specialist care from a palliative nurse and doctor who not only brought medical solutions (for pain, discomfort, anxiety, confusion and distress) but also strong hugs, sensitivity, a sense of humour and the readiness to listen and share a cup of their favourite Yorkshire tea.
the delivery of equipment to make life more comfortable like an adjustable bed, a video monitor, his beloved Ronnie Roller and a wheelchair.
access to personal carers (and a much wished for hair wash in bed).
being well enough to share his last Christmas and her birthday with his mum.
hearing advice on how to talk to the children about the prospect that he wasn’t going to get better and that time was short.
having the chance for him to hear just how much we all loved him, just the day before he died.
24/7 contact with a specialist nurse for those times when a cannula stopped working or we’d run out of medication.
someone was there to support me when John had fallen asleep for the very last time.
Please support Cesta Domů with a donation and recognise the support they showed to make John's final wishes come true.
Thank you, from both of us.
Cesta domů, z.ú.
Snažíme se, aby byl život snesitelný a smysluplný i v posledních chvílích. Bez vás bychom to nedokázali.
Splňte spolu s námi přání těžce nemocným lidem zemřít v klidu, důstojně a v blízkosti své rodiny. Vážíme si každého daru a projevené důvěry.
Zajišťujeme, aby děti a dospělí umírající v domácím prostředí měli dostupnou zdravotní péči a další potřebné služby. Každému, kdo se na nás obrátí, poskytneme informace potřebné k péči o nevyléčitelně nemocného. Na území hl. m. Prahy provozujeme už 20 let domácí hospic. Našim pacientům poskytujeme zdravotní služby 24 hodin denně 7 dní v týdnu a jejich blízkým podporu v každodenní péči. Umožňujeme, aby člověk v posledních dnech a týdnech života mohl dožít důstojně, mít čas na své nejbližší, na rozloučení a mohl být doma, v prostředí, které má rád.
Můžete nám v tom pomoci. Bez individuálních i firemních dárců bychom se neobešli. Děkujeme!
Thank you for sharing your life with me John. Love you, always ❤️
Thank you for sharing your life with me John. Love you, always ❤️