Patients, Families & Whānau Stories

The joy Margaret Doyle has experienced at her beloved weekly hospice Day Programme will get a special mention at her funeral. The colourful, extroverted and fun-loving Margaret, with her bright orange hair and fondness for vibrant clothes, will make sure of it. A skilled wordsmith, […]

Watch the video as Shona talks us through her journey …

Highly respected netball coach Ivy Topping’s family will be forever grateful for the 24/7 care afforded to her by Taranaki’s dedicated hospice team for her last five months. Ivy, who died in June this year, was not aware she had cancer until it had metastasised. […]

Gwen Holloway has no idea how long she still has to live but is content that she has stored important information for her family and carers for when the time comes. In her fridge she has placed a small cylinder which has two copies of […]

When Anton Boyder was finally diagnosed with lung cancer on October 28 last year the news was bad. The cancer was by then Stage 4 and spreading. His wife, Louise Boyder, and their children, Sammi (18) and Anthony (17), are now coming to terms with […]

Bell Block retiree Dorothy Isaac was stunned when her doctor told her at the end of last year that he had referred her to Hospice.  Her condition was terminal.  But a few months later she is full of praise for what the service has done […]