“They make you feel like you are the only person there because they treat you as a person not a patient and let you know that you are important.”
When Lorraine Redmond tells people she’s a St Christopher’s patient they automatically assume she’s receiving end of life care. It’s only when she reels off all the non-clinical services she’s benefitting from that her friends and family start to realise the hospice has so much more to offer and Lorraine has more life to live.
The 59-year-old children’s Social Care Service Manager from Catford says: “I tell people about the massages, the acupuncture, the exercises in the gym, and the counselling I’ve had and then they start to understand. I have regular check-ups with my St Christopher’s nurse at home. I give her an update on how I’m doing but we don’t talk about when “I’m going to die.”
It’s fair to say Lorraine wasn’t exactly sure herself what to make of her referral to St Christopher’s almost immediately after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in May 2024.
“That was a difficult diagnosis and then when someone refers you to a service known for palliative and end of life care you’re like, ‘Ok?! Everything’s speeding up here.’
“But in fact, it really wasn’t like that. The first nurse that came to see me explained all the services and support I could get. She said I didn’t have to access anything, but it was available if I wanted it. I love being massaged, so when she mentioned it, I said I’d have some of that.”
The offer of counselling was one Lorraine felt uncomfortable about initially, she remembers.
“In my working life, I’m the service provider, the person who helps people. But I found the six counselling sessions so helpful.”
Lorraine was and remains pragmatic about her diagnosis and prognosis, but she also knew that the counselling would be an essential support for her as she sought to prepare her loved ones.
“I wanted to plan my funeral and to write a letter to my family and friends spelling out what I want and don’t want at the end of my life. I knew I’d need counselling to get through that, and they really helped me to offload everything that I was carrying.”
Lorraine then arranged for a doctor and nurse at St Christopher’s to read her letter to her family and friends.
It’s that sort of personalised care and support that Lorraine says she’s enjoyed since her first interaction with the hospice 18 months ago.
“As soon as you walk in the door, it’s like walking into a family home. The staff and volunteers are so genuine and the welcome is so warm. They make you feel like you are the only person there because they treat you as a person not a patient and let you know that you are important.”
“They have always accommodated me where I am and made me feel comfortable so that I can talk about anything and everything.”
Key to Lorraine’s positive attitude is her work. She’s continued to work full-time for Croydon Council ever since her diagnosis, with the help of a support worker and some ergonomic equipment.
“I don’t think they understand quite how important it is for me. But they are helping me to live. If I didn’t work, I wouldn’t feel purposeful and feel like I have a sense of self-worth.
“In the main I am quite happy and positive but there are some hurdles I have to jump and brick walls I have to face. I don’t like that I have MND but I am happy with my life.”
Working also gives Lorraine a reason for getting out and about, something she now does in an electric wheelchair which has opened up the outside world for her.
“It means I don’t have to wait on anyone and I’m in control and independent. I can get on the bus and go anywhere. I can do most things; I just do them differently.”
When the time comes, Lorraine says she’s made it clear that she wants to be cared for in St Christopher’s as she trusts them 100% to look after her there.
In the meantime, she’s going to carry on living life, working, wheeling herself to social events, and going to West End shows.
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