18th November 2024
Acorns Nurse Katie was among the team of ‘superheroes’ Karen and Jonathan say gave them ‘everything we needed without knowing we needed it’.
Katie shares her memories of meeting Thea and her family for the first time and how the hospice team at Acorns in the Black Country gave them the gifts of vital care, support and lifetime of memories.
Thea’s family needed the precious gift of time. They needed time as a family of four, time to cuddle Thea, time to cry and time to laugh. Most importantly to be able to do all these things knowing they were being well cared for.
They didn’t need to fear what they may need to do or not do when by themselves at 3am. They didn’t need to think of the day-to-day mundane jobs of figuring out what to eat or when to wash clothes, because it was done for them. They knew Rupert was happy and could be watched if they needed some time alone with Thea. They just got to be parents.
The family wanted to spend time to create memories with Thea in a calm and caring place, and that’s what they got. We embraced them into the Acorns family and gave them the support they needed. They knew we were keeping a close eye on Thea and were ready to intervene to keep her as comfortable as possible.
The most important thing we did was accept where they are at. We try our hardest to see a family’s needs and meet them there. Some families want to know we are there but need space, others want us to be involved as much as possible. Thea’s family fully embraced all we offered and from that, experienced lots of beautiful memories.
Johnny and Karen wanted as many memory making activities as we could offer. We had such a lovely time thinking of different crafts we could do. Hand and foot casts were one of the first we did. Thea had the tiniest little toes. I think I held my breath when I peeled away the casting!
We involved Rupert in some canvas painting so that he will also have something to look back on and know he was a part of.
When a family is going through end-of-life care with their child, so many moments can become a blur. There is so much to take in and try to understand, so many different emotions. But in these moments, these keepsakes, time has stood still. That handprint, footprint, photo, will always remain and bring back a memory. Keepsakes and memories like these are irreplaceable.
This Christmas we have launched an appeal to raise vital funds for children and families like Thea’s.
Acorns gives families like Thea’s some space and calm for those final days. We provide treasured memories that will last a lifetime.
But we can’t do that without you. Your gift today will help us provide vital care at our hospices in Birmingham, Walsall, and Worcester this Christmas and throughout the year ahead.
