Clive’s story

At the beginning of 2016 Clive was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour on his small intestine. He had an operation to remove it and was offered chemotherapy, which he declined, instead wanting to focus on his quality of life. By April 2018 the cancer had spread to his bowel and liver and in September that year he was admitted to Fair Havens for symptom management and end of life care. Clive died at Fair Havens on 5th November 2018.

Clive said, “I wanted to spend quality time with my family and friends – I didn’t feel that chemotherapy would allow me to do that because it can make you feel sick or knocked out.

“Because my mum and sister worked in Fair Havens for years I was happy to come here. I knew that it was good place to come too – the care is amazing. I mean the NHS is amazing, but here they have the time to give you whereas at the hospital they are inundated and under more pressure.

“Fair Havens have time to get to know you and that just enhances the care they give you, because they can really tailor it to who you are. They treat you like a person not a statistic and nothing is too much trouble for the staff and volunteers.

“I find it uncomfortable to ask for help, I prefer to give help – but here I feel I can ask for help. They’ve helped me feel comfortable, nothing is too much trouble – I don’t feel like a nuisance – they’re always happy, chirpy and they always make sure you’re ok before they leave you. They make everyone feel welcome and they make it as homely as possible for everyone. No one is a nuisance; they’ve given us all the time we need.”

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Published in 2019

Fair Havens have time to get to know you and that just enhances the care they give you, because they can really tailor it to who you are.