• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Mail
  • Youtube
St Luke's Hospice Plymouth
  • Our care
      • Our care
      • St Luke’s at home
      • St Luke’s urgent care service
      • St Luke’s at Derriford
      • St Luke’s at Turnchapel
      • Social and spiritual care
      • Therapy
      • Remember with Patches
      • our care
      • patients and carers
  • Get involved
      • Get involved
      • Donate
      • Fundraising and events
      • Volunteering
      • Make a Regular Gift
      • In Memory Giving
      • Lottery
      • Corporate Fundraising
      • Wills and legacies
      • Gift aid
      • Compassionate communities
      • midnightwalk
      • TourdeMoor
  • Shops
      • Shops
      • ebay shop
      • Furniture collection service
      • Volunteering
      • Shops
      • Furniture collection service
  • Education
      • Courses and education
      • University modules
      • Six steps + programme
      • Compassionate communities
      • Compassionate city
      • Projects and partnerships
      • Apprenticeships and placements
      • Education and courses
      • Plymouth a compassionate city
  • Information hub
      • Information hub
      • Patients and carers
      • Healthcare professionals
      • Derriford EOL hub
      • End of life care champions
      • Medical students
      • Advance care planning
      • Compassionate city
      • Dying matters
      • Hospice UK
      • Patients and carers
      • Healthcare professionals
  • About us
      • About us
      • Job vacancies
      • Our supporter promise
      • Our strategy
      • Governance
      • Trustees and management
      • Our history
      • Information protection
      • FAQs
      • Press and media
      • St Luke’s at a glance
      • FAQs
      • Job vacancies
  • Contact us
    • Contact us
    • Find us
  • Donate
  • Menu Menu
  • Our care
    • Our care
    • St Luke’s at home
    • St Luke’s urgent care service
    • St Luke’s at Derriford
    • St Luke’s at Turnchapel
    • Social and spiritual care
    • Therapy
    • Remember with Patches
    • Lymphoedema
  • Get involved
    • Get involved
    • Donate
    • Fundraising and events
    • Volunteering
    • Make a Regular Gift
    • In Memory Giving
    • Lottery
    • Corporate fundraising
    • Wills and legacies
    • Gift Aid
    • Compassionate Communities
  • Shops
    • Shops
    • eBay shop
    • Furniture collection service
    • Volunteering
  • Education
    • Education and Courses
    • University modules
    • Six Steps + programme
    • Plymouth a compassionate city
    • Projects and partnerships
    • Apprenticeships and placements
  • Information hub
    • Information hub
    • Patients and carers
    • Healthcare professionals
    • Derriford Hospital EOL hub
    • End of life care champions
    • Medical students
    • Advance care planning
    • Plymouth a compassionate city
    • Dying matters
    • Hospice UK
  • About us
    • About us
    • Job Vacancies
    • Our supporter promise
    • Our strategy
    • Governance
    • Trustees and management
    • Our history
    • Information protection
    • FAQs
    • Press and media
    • St Lukes at a glance
  • Contact us
    • Contact us
    • Find us
  • Donate
latest news, News

Hospice Care Week | Tom’s story

This being Hospice Care Week (5 – 11 October) – the annual Hospice UK campaign highlighting what it takes for hospices to provide high-quality end of life care at no cost to the patients they serve – St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth is shining a light on the vital difference its service made to a young family while in the midst of the pandemic.

When little Poppy Hammond of Tavistock had to forego cuddles with daddy Tom, 30, because the two-year-old’s suspected COVID-19 symptoms meant it wasn’t safe for her or her mother Jess to be at his bedside at St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth’s specialist unit, it felt devastating for them all. Already dealing with the heart-breaking news that Tom’s time was running short due to a brain tumour first diagnosed in his teens, the necessary separation dealt another cruel blow to the family, which includes Josh, Tom’s nine-year-old son from a previous relationship.

Jess, who married Tom in 2017 five years after they met at Plymouth’s Oceana nightclub, by which time he had undergone surgery and then further treatment for the tumour, said: “It was so hard realising Poppy and I had to isolate when all I wanted was for us to be with Tom at Turnchapel. He was so poorly by that point that I didn’t even know if we would see him again.”

As soon she and Poppy could safely emerge from isolation, Jess drove straight to Turnchapel. She said: “A nurse kindly arranged for us to see Tom through a big window in the building. The moment Poppy saw her daddy there, she ran straight up to him. She put her hand up to glass and Tom put his hand up as well. It was so lovely but also so hard because all we wanted to do was to give him a cuddle. I’m just so grateful though, that we even got that time.”

It was just a few weeks earlier that Tom has been transferred to the specialist unit following treatment at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

Jess said: “When it was first explained to us that Tom needed specialist care at the hospice, it felt really scary. I thought it would be a really sad place, but it didn’t feel like that. Tom was very comfortable there and said it was like a retreat, with a sea-view room, lovely meals and even a drinks trolley so the patients can enjoy a tipple. In that week before the pandemic meant visiting had to be restricted, our family and friends would come to see him all the time, Tom and Josh would play on the X-box together and Poppy loved dressing-up in the playroom. It was a just nice place to be and even nicer that Tom loved it.”

“Being the lovely, funny person he was, Tom made the nurses laugh when he’d sneak to the cleaner’s cupboard in the night and help himself to her biscuits. They told me Tom made them smile at a time when they were all working under a lot of extra pressure because of the pandemic.”

Tom was then discharged home to Tavistock so that he could spend precious time there with his loved ones around him. His care at home was made possible thanks to St Luke’s team of highly trained nurses who visit patients across Plymouth and surrounding areas to ensure their comfort and maintain their dignity so that they can live well to the end of their lives.

Jess said: “Initially, St Luke’s came once a day and then more frequently as our needs changed. They did as much as they could to help, and it meant I got a little break from looking after Tom and could spend time one-on-one with Poppy. What they did for us gave us the most amazing three weeks together at home.”

When Tom’s condition worsened, it was St Luke’s End of Life Urgent Care team that stepped in, visiting four times a day.

Jess said: “They were so kind and so calm, and because of their training they were able to alert me when Tom was nearing his last hours.

“On Tom’s last day, we made it really positive with lots of family and friends around, just as he wanted. At the end though, it was just me with him that evening. I sat by his bed, simply saying to him the kind of things he’d say to Josh and Poppy at bedtime. Then he just fell asleep. It was like he’d waited for everyone else to go so that I could have those final precious moments alone with him.”

Reflecting on her husband’s character, Jess said: “Tom was loveliest, the most laidback person you could ever meet. We were always out having fun together, going to festivals or taking the children to Tavistock Park to feed the ducks. He was amazing with Josh and Poppy, always making them laugh, playing games and making dens.

Remembering Tom’s ‘guilty pleasure’ – rap and grime music – she said: “He was a huge fan of Stormzy, and we went to see him four times. He thought his own rapping was really good, too. It wasn’t, which always amused our friends!”

Paying tribute to her beloved husband, Jess said: “Tom was the best person in the world. All my family, all his family and all our friends said so. Throughout his illness he’d say, “I’m just glad it’s me” because he wouldn’t want to watch it happening to any of us. As a husband and as a dad, he couldn’t have loved us any more if he’d tried and we couldn’t have loved him more either.

Help more families in need | Donate today

6th October 2020
https://www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TOM-BLOG.png 773 1030 Gabby Nott https://www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stlukeslogo.gif Gabby Nott2020-10-06 11:42:572020-10-09 14:45:21Hospice Care Week | Tom’s story
latest news, News

Become a Trustee

St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth provides specialist palliative care to people with life threatening illnesses and support to their families and carers, in partnership with others. The care is not just medical and nursing but incorporates emotional, social and spiritual support as well.

We are always interested to hear from people with the knowledge, skills and motivation to help ensure that as St Luke’s evolves, we continue to make wise decisions that mean we can meet the challenges ahead, including reaching underrepresented groups who sometimes struggle to be heard.

Trustee, Charles Hackett, said: “Being a trustee at St Luke’s supports my personal development but more importantly allows me to use my skills to help, in some way, the community in which I live.”

Being a trustee with St Luke’s can be rewarding for many reasons, including a sense of making a difference with a well-respected charity that touches the lives of local families to gaining new experiences and forging new relationships. (For an insight into our recent work, take a look at our latest impact report.)

Fiona Field, who sits on the Organisational Risk and Audit Committee and chairs the Health & Safety Committee, said: “I give about one day per month on average, this is divided between being a member of the board, chairing the health and safety committee, visiting teams across St Luke’s and taking part in some of the fundraising activities. I have regularly attended the Open Gardens in the summertime, sold programmes on Plymouth Hoe at the Firework Championships and walked the Elmer Trail.

“I find the work interesting and rewarding and I am always proud to talk to others about the brilliant work that everyone at St Luke’s does for such a worthy cause. I am keen that the services St Luke’s offers continue to be of the highest quality possible for our patients and their families locally.”

For more information on getting involved, please contact us by e-mailing info@stlukes-hospice.org.uk

1st October 2020
https://www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TrustessWeb-2.png 773 1030 Gabby Nott https://www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stlukeslogo.gif Gabby Nott2020-10-01 09:29:382020-11-24 11:15:07Become a Trustee

Recent Posts

  • BLOG: Taking on an epic challenge in aid of local hospice care
  • BLOG: St Luke’s goes back to where our retail success began
  • BLOG: Tour de Moor, the South West’s boldest charity cycling challenge returns for 2022
  • BLOG: A royal celebration to mark 34 years
  • BLOG: From boardroom to coastal path

Recent Comments

  • Rhianne Walkey on Protected: Transformation
  • Rhianne Walkey on Protected: Transformation
  • Someone on Protected: Transformation
  • Someone on Protected: Transformation
  • Someone on Protected: Transformation

Archives

  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • October 2016
  • August 2016

Categories

  • Clinical Newsletter
  • Community
  • Corporate
  • Do it for St Luke's!
  • events
  • Homepage Event Banner
  • latest news
  • News
  • PR
  • St Luke's
  • Uncategorised
  • Upcoming Events
  • z-exclude

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Our Care

  • St Luke’s at home
  • St Luke’s urgent care service
  • St Luke’s at Derriford
  • St Luke’s at Turnchapel
  • Lymphoedema
  • Social and spiritual care
  • Therapy

Support us

  • Donate
  • Fundraising
  • Volunteering
  • Lottery
  • Corporate fundraising
  • Sponsor a St Luke’s nurse
  • St Luke’s Memory Tree
  • Wills and legacies
  • Our shops
  • Tribute funds

Courses

  • University modules
  • Six Steps + programme
  • Projects and partnerships
  • Apprenticeships and placements

Information

  • About us
  • Contact us
  • How we use your personal information (GDPR)
  • Advance care planning
  • Patients and carers
  • Medical students
  • Healthcare professionals
  • End of life care champions
  • Compassionate communities
  • Job Vacancies
  • Our history
  • Our supporter promise
  • Press and media
  • SLH Ventures Gambling Commission Licence
© Copyright 2022 - St Luke's Hospice Plymouth is a registered charity number 280681, VAT registration number 108 2418 38 & a company limited by guarantee, number 1505753. - Web Design by The Ambitions Agency
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Mail
  • Youtube
Scroll to top

We use cookies to give you the best possible online experience. If you continue, we’ll assume you are happy for your web browser to receive all cookies from our website.

View how we use cookiesView how we protect your personal informationAccept cookiesProceed without cookies

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only