Keeley’s mum was cared for by Martlets four years ago. He will be marrying fiancée Georgie this November and they will be supporting Martlets at their wedding in memory of his mum.
“My mum was cared for by Martlets four years ago in 2019 and they also cared for my best mate’s mum two years ago. What better way to remember them than by supporting Martlets on our wedding day. All our guests will be getting a card explaining how Martlets helped our families and encouraging donations. They will all get a little Martlets pin of the Martlets bird in flight. Funnily enough it’s my mate’s mum’s birthday the actual day of the wedding so we’re having a double celebration as he’ll be my best man. It’s a nice way of remembering her as well.
Mum stayed on the inpatient unit for just a few days, but the staff got to know her and our family on a personal level. That made her last days better for her because she felt special.
Mum was a happy go lucky woman, but she got severely ill and was in and out of hospital with various illnesses. She had emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), osteoarthritis and cancer which she fought for years. Eventually she became too ill to be sent home from hospital and she went into Martlets instead. The staff there were so helpful and went over and above for us. Nothing was any trouble. Mum was at Martlets for just a few days at the end of her life, but I genuinely think those were the most comfortable days of her long illness. People might think that hospice care is only for cancer, but Martlets helped Mum with her COPD symptoms too.
The staff at Martlets had so much time for Mum, whereas at the hospital things were so hectic. We have quite a big family and Martlets were so accommodating, making sure we could all go in late at night towards the end of Mum’s life and spend time with her. The staff did small things like making sure she had Sports Mixture gums – she loved those sweets. It might seem like a little thing but in her last days it was things like her favourite sweets that were treats she could still enjoy. She was just in the best hands – for pain medication and managing her symptoms but also for emotional support.
After Mum died, the help Martlets gave us made a massive difference, particularly for the male side of family to be able to open up and talk about it. We were offered individual counselling and we went to Light up a Life at Christmas.
The Light up a Life event was a lovely way to remember Mum. We added her name to the remembrance book. Martlets gently kept in touch after Mum died and invited us to Light up Life and for individual counselling. We really appreciated them checking in to make sure we were doing ok. As a family, we’re forever grateful for their care – the way they cared for Mum but especially afterwards too as we needed support to grieve and talk about how we were feeling.
Georgie is the first woman I’ve ever committed to and she’s 100% definitely it for me and I can’t wait to marry her. I know Mum would be so happy for us.
Georgie and I met because I was hanging out with her best mate’s sister. And then one time I plucked up the courage to ask her out. And then the rest is history really. We’ve been together nearly seven years. I’m 32 now and she’s nearly 28. In my groom’s speech I’ll be mentioning the loved ones we’ve lost who can’t be with us including my mum, my best mate’s mum, and my sister-in-law.
Last week was the anniversary of Mum’s death and we all went to Tilgate Park in Crawley as she loved it there. It’s where we scattered her ashes. She loved squirrels and we saw lots there when we went. There were also lots of white feathers floating around, so who knows, maybe it was a sign that she is still around in some way. I know we’ll feel her with us at our wedding.”
If you are interested in supporting Martlets at your wedding, please contact our fundraising team to find out about our wedding favours package.
Published 03/08/2023