The hospice helps me to live

Colin Taylor was first diagnosed with lung cancer only a few years ago, but that certainly hasn’t stopped him from living.

Colin regularly attends our Creative and Support Therapy Service and enjoys going along to the Hospice Singers group, which was set up to support patient’s wellbeing. As a keen drummer, Colin once supported the American Drifters at a concert held during the Vietnam War, whilst there as a solider, and so he is able to bring along his talents and incredible stories to share with other patients attending the group.

Creative and Support Therapy is a valuable service offered to our patients, it enables people to meet others who are going through the same or similar journey. The service offers a wide variety of activities for the patients to enjoy, including; art, quizzes, pottery, gardening, sewing and of course singing. The patients who attend see great benefits from coming and feel supported not only by the wider hospice, but each other as well. The service is there to focus on patient wellbeing and how we can support each individual in ‘making the most of life’.

Although Colin has only been attending the Creative and Support Therapy service for a few months, he is seeing the benefits and looks forward to his Thursday morning with the singing group. The sessions are held by Faye Bailey, a singing teacher. Faye understands the benefits singing has on someone’s wellbeing, but also the benefits the breathing techniques she teaches has on some of the patients dealing with chest pain and shortness of breath. Colin is one of those patients who is already seeing a difference, “I’ve only been coming to the singing group for a few months and because of my lung cancer, I struggle with my chest and breathing. After I’ve been to the sessions, my chest and breathing is improving and I really enjoy coming along.”

Colin has terminal lung cancer. He was referred to us by his GP and like many people, Colin was scared to attend, he thought it was where you went to die, but after just one day here, he soon realised it was much more than that.

“I remember going back for an appointment at the hospital and saying to the consultant that the hospice helps me to live. I told them all about the Hospice Singers and how much I love going along to the group,”

Every Thursday morning, many of our patients who attend the Creative and Support Therapy Service now come along to the Hospice Singers group to not only enjoy the singing, but to also enjoy the movement.

Faye Bailey said, “Some of the patients who attend struggle with movement and so coming along to the group they are able to move to the beat of the music, and this helps ease their pain. There are so many hidden benefits to singing and moving to the music that people are unaware of. I love coming along to the hospice to offer my support and to see how happy the patients are, which makes what I do feel even better.”

The Hospice Singers group fills the hospice with joy each week, with some members of staff and volunteers coming along to listen to the patients and see the happiness it brings them.

Colin finished by saying, “There’s quite a few of us who come along to the singing sessions now and it’s really nice to see that no one ever leaves sad. We all finish on a high, and the atmosphere just feels really good.”