After Keith's granddaughter sadly passed away, the family accessed our bereavement services in our Eltham hospice. Our bereavement facilities allowed the family time to say their goodbyes, whilst being supported by our nursing and care team.
Keith began to look for ways in which he could give back to Demelza and for Volunteers' Week, he has shared his story of becoming a #TeamDemelza volunteer:
“I first came to Demelza, not as a volunteer, but as a grandparent. My beautiful, very brave granddaughter was born in May 2019. Her parents and my wife and I were so proud of her, as she was constantly smiling when not receiving treatment in hospital for the many challenges she faced. She was born with complex medical needs and received a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and a number of serious conditions which required a lot of operations and long stays in the hospital. Despite the many hospital stays, all seemed to be going well until she was also diagnosed with progressive leukaemia when she was 17 months old; she sadly passed away at home following unsuccessful treatment, aged 21 months.
"She was then brought to Demelza’s South East London hospice, where her parents were able to stay with her for five nights and say their goodbyes in their own time. My wife and I also were able to stay for one night to say our goodbyes and support her parents. It was obviously the worst time in any of our lives, but the Demelza staff were unbelievably sensitive – they were supportive without being overbearing, and they eased a very painful time for all of us."