Susie’s story

Living hundreds of miles away in the North East of England whilst her mum, Satu was in Buxton, Susie stayed closely connected through daily phone calls and regular trips to visit. Although the distance was difficult, the support of Blythe House Hospice’s Roaming Car Service meant Satu was never alone.

The care, reassurance and companionship provided by the team brought comfort not only to Satu, but to her family too, giving them peace of mind that someone who genuinely cared was always there to help. Most importantly, it enabled Satu to remain where she most wanted to be at the end of her life – in the home she had loved for more than 50 years.

Susie explained: ‘Mum had COPD for as long as I can remember. It was just part of who she was. She had her inhalers and she managed. She couldn’t get up Terrace Road in Buxton without stopping for a breather, but then again, who can? It never really stopped her living her life, and none of us ever thought of it as something that defined her.

‘Things started to change during 2023 and into 2024. There was a noticeable decline. She became very slim and her breathing got much worse. She had chest X-rays and, in August 2024 she became very poorly and was admitted to Stepping Hill Hospital. At exactly the same time, my dad, Maurice, was also in hospital. They had been married for 55 years, having married in 1970.

‘Whilst Mum was in hospital, Dad told us that Mum had lung cancer. She had quietly told him: ‘I saw a shadow on my lungs when they did the X-rays.’ In September 2024 suddenly and unexpectedly, Dad died in Stepping Hill. One of the hardest things was that Mum couldn’t even go and see him because she had COVID at the time. That was incredibly difficult for all of us.

‘The months that followed were full of hospital admissions. Mum was in and out of both Stepping Hill and Macclesfield hospitals. Around Christmas 2024 we genuinely thought Mum was going to die. She was discharged on Christmas Eve, only to be taken back into hospital by ambulance on Christmas Day. She finally came home in January 2025, and that’s when Blythe House Hospice became involved.

‘She was on home oxygen by then and the Blythe House Hospice Roaming Car team started supporting her with pain management. They helped with everything that allowed her to keep some independence. It wasn’t a sudden decline after that. It was slow. Gradually she took to her bed downstairs, where she felt most comfortable. Friends came and went to see her, and there was always life around her.

‘I live in the North East of England, so I came down every three weekends to spend time with Mum. My brother also lives away. We both knew that if Mum went back into hospital or into a hospice, she probably wouldn’t come home again. Staying in her own home was what mattered most to her. She had lived there for more than 50 years. It was where she belonged.

‘One of the lovely things Blythe House offered was complementary therapy at home. Mum absolutely loved it. She said it was just so lovely to be looked after.

‘As time went on, managing her pain became more difficult because her liver wasn’t working as it should, so medication wasn’t always as effective as everyone hoped.