The sister of a patient who was looked after by the hospice has paid tribute to the care he received from the team here, as well as the support offered to the whole family during their final days together.
Omparkash (Kash) Chand was diagnosed with bowel cancer in October 2023. He was due to have chemotherapy, but that had to be cancelled as he became too ill and the cancer had spread to his liver and lungs, meaning he was no longer strong enough for the treatment.
In November, he was told that he had weeks to live and was referred to Birmingham Hospice in Erdington for pain management and support.
His sister Maria said the support he received made a big difference in making his final days as comfortable as possible, including having someone from the family staying with him at all times so he was not alone.
Maria said: “Kash was an amazing person – his friends used to call him ‘Kashapedia’ because he had so much knowledge about different things. He had a lot of hobbies, and was a massive fan of football and Marvel comics, which he used to love talking about with my son. He loved music – some of his favourite bands were Pearl Jam, who we played at the funeral, Nirvana and REM. He had a huge love of life, a great sense of humour and would do anything for anyone.
“When he became ill, I said he could come and stay with us but he was adamant he didn’t want to be a burden. He was a very independent person – even in the last few days, he was still trying to do as much as possible for himself. He fought with everything he had right to the end and he passed away peacefully at the hospice on 14 January 2024.”
The team at the hospice did all they could to make Kash as comfortable as possible, and also helped to reassure his family and update them on how he was doing. Kash was even able to celebrate his 51st birthday at the hospice, with the hospice team decorating his room and members of his family getting together to celebrate.
Maria added: “The staff at the hospice are second to none. They gave my brother unconditional love and support. I cannot thank the team enough for all they did in his final weeks. As a family we were able to spend as much time as we wanted, and we were able stop overnight at the hospice which gives me comfort that he was never alone.
“He told us not to worry about his birthday and he didn’t want a fuss, but when he saw how they had decorated his room at the hospice, his face lit up, and you could tell it meant a lot to him. We had some family come up from London, and it was a really happy day. While I didn’t want to give up hope that he would beat this, it was also important to make memories like that with him.”
Maria urged any family facing hospice care not to hesitate to take the help available. She said her family would always now feel a personal connection to the hospice after everything that had happened, and they visited us with a generous donation this week.
“We want to say thank you for all the hard work and dedication not only to the patients but the all the families the staff support who are going through this difficult time with their loved ones in their final days. Words can’t express how much we appreciate everything you did for Kash. We are really grateful.”
