Daughter of Peterborough dad who died at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice pays tribute to 'amazing and caring' staff

Tara Crowley’s dad Jerry Smith, received end-of-life care at Sue Ryder’s Thorpe Hall Hospice earlier this year and died on January 16, aged 75.

Jerry, who suffered badly with arthritis, received a terminal cancer diagnosis two years ago but his health deteriorated rapidly after a fall at home.

Since then, the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic has seen the cancellation of numerous fundraising events for the hospice.

As a thank you to team at Thorpe hall, Tara and her family have been making and selling face masks to raise money for Sue Ryder and ensure that Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice can be there when it matters for other families in the future. They have so far raised over £1,000.

The support comes at a crucial time for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough. It was forced to launch its second urgent fundraising campaign of 2020 in November in response to the devastating impact the Coronavirus pandemic has had on the charity’s funding.

The ‘We can’t stop’ campaign looks to help Sue Ryder combat the £2 million a month shortfall it’s experiencing, while its care teams continue to play a key role in the Coronavirus effort.

Tara, from Longthorpe, said: “We were all so grateful for the care shown to dad at Thorpe Hall that we wanted to do our bit to help. Mum has been making face masks and shopping bags and my sister and I have been selling them.”

Now a recruitment consultant, Tara worked for Sue Ryder’s retail operation before going on to work on the capital appeal for the new building at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

She said: “Dad was a fighter, a very strong-willed man and he had been poorly for a long time so I don’t think we realised how bad it was to start with but then he was put on end-of-life care. We tried to look after him at home but he was in so much pain it was really difficult. The palliative care nurse came to see him and he was referred to Thorpe Hall.”

Tara went with her dad to Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice the following day. She said: “Going to the hospice was such a weight off me and my sisters and my step-mum but also for dad. He was only there for two days in the end but from the second he got into the bed at Thorpe Hall he looked comfortable. It was such a relief to see that after the struggle we had at home. The Sue Ryder staff were just amazing, so empathetic and caring, just lovely really, and so respectful of dad.

“Then we could just sit with him and talk to him about anything and everything and not have to worry about looking after him. There was always someone around if we needed anything but they were very respectful. The care he received at Thorpe Hall was really refreshing. It was what anyone should have. I think they gave dad his dignity back. The nurses were just so courteous to dad and they were very supportive of us too. Even though he had been ill for some time the decline in his health had been quite sudden so it was all a bit of a shock. The whole experience has just reinforced for me the real need for places like Thorpe Hall.

“It’s just imperative that we continue to support Thorpe Hall during the current crisis. The hospice isn’t able to fundraise in the usual way so it needs our support now more than ever.”

You can support Sue Ryder’s ‘We can’t stop’ campaign by visiting www.sueryder.org/winterappeal20For more information about Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice visit www.sueryder.org/thorpe