Our Family Centre offers patients the chance to be with their loved ones while being cared for in our Inpatient Units.
For Tony and Marie Nurrish and their family, being able to stay in the Family Centre and have the chance to spend time making precious memories, was invaluable.
The Harry Moseley Family Centre at our Selly Park site offers families the privacy they need during a difficult time, but with the safety of 24 hour care from the hospice’s specialist Medical Team. It is fully accessible from the existing Inpatient Unit, flexible enough to accommodate family members, and has its own fully accessible garden.
Tony, who worked at Cadbury’s for 36 years before retiring, was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2021. He began chemotherapy in December of that year while Marie cared for him at home.
The pair met when they were young and shared their first kiss on New Year’s Eve 1973. Shortly after that, they got married and had four children.
Their youngest daughter, Sarah, said: “We were very lucky to have a laid back Dad who didn’t mind showing his silly side.”
Exactly 50 years after their first kiss, on New Year’s Eve 2022, Tony was brought into the hospice to be cared for by our expert teams in the Inpatient Unit.
Marie said the care provided was “amazing”.
“The nurses allowed me to sit with my husband and hold his hand while they did the caring,” she said.
“We were offered the Family Centre to stay in and I fondly remember the nurse telling me we had been upgraded to the ‘honeymoon suite’.
“It was incredible because the whole family were around to support one another.”
Tony died on 5th January surrounded by his loved ones. Marie said the most precious item she has of her beloved husband is a beautiful bronze hand cast which was facilitated by Sally and Sam from our Wellbeing Team.
Marie said: “I haven’t got the words to say how much I love our hand cast. In such a difficult time you ladies have given me so much comfort. Just holding Tony’s hand is magic, I will always be so grateful to you all.
“Tony was my rock and I miss him terribly, but I can take so much comfort from the care we all received at the hospice and also my treasured hand cast, which I will keep forever.”
Thank you so much to the Nurrish family for sharing your story.
