“During the pandemic, the hospice had the time and patience for us”

Alan Leach, the drummer in 90s indie band Shed Seven, has been raising money for St Leonard’s Hospice in York since his mother was cared for by the charity. Here he tells us what his experience of hospice care was like.

Alan’s mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, and although she made a good recovery, during the first lockdown of 2020 her illness returned. “She had the appearance of someone who’d had a stroke” Alan says. “She was saying things like my brother had been to visit her that day, when he hadn’t seen her for two weeks. We were second-guessing that she'd either had a stroke or the cancer had spread to her brain.”

Because of Covid-19, they initially struggled to get in touch with a doctor. “GPs weren't returning our calls and the surgery just had a sign on the door saying it was closed.”

A friend suggested they go to A&E, but due to Covid restrictions Alan wasn’t able to go with her to speak to a doctor, and she insisted she was fine.

The right care during the pandemic

Eventually doctors discovered tumours on her brain, and she was admitted to St Leonard’s Hospice. “It was meant to be respite for us, but I think we knew that those would be her last few weeks” Alan said. “The hospice staff were really good and never said to her that she wouldn’t be going home.

“On the actual day she died, we were lucky that we were able to see her. I’ve got a friend who hasn’t been able to see his mum since Christmas because of lockdown.” Alan says.

He explains that in a way, it was a relief when she died because of the impact of her illness. “The relief that it was over was almost as big as the sadness” he says. “You feel a bit guilty for not feeling worse, but when someone's been ill for that long, you're watching them die over a period of time. In the end she couldn’t hold a conversation.

A peaceful death

“It was very peaceful, and it felt quite positive if I’m honest. We were sitting with her and the nurses brought us cakes and toast and tea. She just kind of fell asleep while we were talking.  It was just nice.”

Since the first lockdown Alan has been doing free online quizzes – at one point he was hosting two every day. After his mum died he decided to start raising money for the hospice, charging £5 a month to take part in 13 quizzes. To date he’s raised over £3,500.

Coincidentally, Alan’s father-in-law was also cared for by St Leonard’s years previously. “I kind of knew what to expect” he says. “I’d always been a bit cynical about charities, but as soon as you get inside the hospice and see what they do, you see why people get so passionate about it.

“St Leonard’s Hospice has got such an amazing reputation. People realize how much the hospice makes the experience a lot less painful than how it would have been without it.  All you ever hear about is how good it is, and I know quite a lot of people who’ve had loved ones cared for there.

“What it boils down to is having the time and the patience for the patients and for the family.  I'm so glad we went when we did with our mum.”