Man praises hospice in interview days before death

A dying man praised the care he received from an Essex hospice, just days before he passed away last week.

David Hunter from Bradfield was diagnosed with lung cancer in January before his health declined further.

He was cared for by the St Helena Hospice charity in nearby Colchester, who Hunter credited with giving him the best quality of life in his last few months.

"The care that they've given me - I didn't think it existed any more," he told the BBC in an interview recorded days before he died on 2 October, aged 59.

A proud Scot, Hunter was born in Glasgow and had a varied career including being an engineer and a lorry driver.

He spent his last 30 years in Essex, where he enjoyed making stained glass and ringing the bells in his local church.

He said the hospice's SinglePoint service contacted him when he was at home in "excruciating pain" and experiencing hallucinations. They quickly found him a place in the hospice where he was able to better manage his deteriorating condition.

"They reassured me, they comforted me just by rubbing my shoulder - it just made that connection, it made all the difference," he told BBC Essex presenter Ben Fryer.

"They brought me back from the brink of death to some sort of normality."

He stayed in the hospice for a month before being allowed to return home, where he received daily visits from care staff.

"When the time comes, I know these people are going to look after me, they're going to make me comfortable," he said.

Also speaking before his death, his daughter Vicky Hunter, 36, said the hospice had been "amazing".

"We didn't think he was coming home. We thought it was the end," she said.

"[They] found out what works for him and were able to give him the time he needed - and he's home, which we never thought we were going to be able to say."

Her father died as he was being transported back to the hospice.

Hunter is survived by his two children and two grandchildren.

His family insisted his dying wish should be honoured - that his interview was broadcast after his death so his thanks to the hospice could be made public.

His story was told as part of a special BBC Essex programme about hospice care.

"These people have shown me that there are people out there who love, who care, who want to help," he said.

"It restores your faith in community and humanity."

Dr Karen Chumbley, the hospice's co-chief executive, said: "We are really keen to offer hospice care to all those who need it in our community.

"We see the value of it for the people themselves and their families, and we want to meet that need."

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