A family, whose relative was cared for at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT), has purchased camp beds to help families of patients who are nearing the end of their lives to stay with their loved ones in their final days.
The family, from Broxbourne, were inspired by the hospital’s Butterfly Volunteers, who provide invaluable support to patients at the end of their life and their relatives. The volunteers provided a camp bed so that the family could rest properly, whilst being close to their loved one.
Representing his family, Ian Munday said: “We are so grateful to the Harold Ward team and the Butterfly Volunteers for their kindness and compassion throughout a very difficult time.
“The camp bed allowed my father, sister and I to get some rest – it was so practical and something that you wouldn’t necessarily think of, but can make a big difference.
“After realising that camp beds were not widely available at the hospital, and as a token of our appreciation, we decided to raise funds and donate a gift in kind by supplying nine extra camp beds to support other friends and families in similar situations.”
Nicki Harris, Butterfly Volunteer coordinator at PAHT, said: “Our team of Butterfly Volunteers work extremely hard to ensure that every person receives the compassion, comfort, and companionship they wish for at the end of their life.
“A big thank you to the Munday family for their thoughtful and generous donation of the camp beds, which will be welcomed by those who need to use them and provide much needed comfort whilst staying overnight.
“We hope to position a plaque on each camp bed in recognition of their kind gift.”
Gary Taylor, head of charity at The Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Charity commented: “On behalf of the charity our heartfelt thanks to Mr Munday and his family for this very generous donation, which will be used by families and visitors who are staying overnight to support loved ones.”
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For more information about The Princess Alexandra Hospital Charity, visit our website >