By Isle of Wight ObserverIslanders are being urged to get involved with the work of Mountbatten during an annual national campaign to raise awareness of hospice care.
The theme of this year’s Hospice Care Week, which takes place October 8 – 14, is ‘Heart my hospice’.
Organised by national umbrella organisation, Hospice UK, the week is an opportunity to talk about the work hospices do at the heart of their communities.
Mountbatten will be educating people about the care services provided to Islanders and addressing the misconceptions and fears many people have about hospices.
Islanders can get involved during Hospice Care Week by pledging to volunteer, fundraise, take part in an event, visit a Mountbatten shop or make a donation to help Mountbatten continue to provide vital care to our local community.
Support could even be as simple as sharing why you ‘heart’ Mountbatten on social media and using the hashtag #HeartMyHospice to show your involvement.
Among those showing their support is Steve Jones, 55, of Newport, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer 11 years ago. He was recently admitted to St Mary’s Hospital in severe pain. Steve was later transferred to Mountbatten, where the medical team controlled his symptoms sufficiently well that he could attend his daughter’s wedding.
Steve said: “Everyone knew about the wedding the minute I got here and, although it had nothing to do with my medical treatment, the immediate focus was to get me to the wedding; they knew it was very important to me. That night, for the first night in years, I slept for about ten hours.”
As part of Heart My Hospice week, Mountbatten will be sharing short videos of supporters telling their stories about why hospice care is important to them. You can view these videos on Mountbatten’s website www.mountbatten.org.uk or via Facebook and Twitter @MountbattenIW Islanders are encouraged to show their support by sharing the videos and telling their own stories about how Mountbatten has been at the heart of their own lives.
Isle of Wight Observer