Helping John to live more comfortably at home

Five years ago, 74-year-old John Carr was diagnosed with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
He tells us how the team at St Catherine’s help him to live his life more comfortably at home – thanks to your support.

He tells us how the team at St Catherine’s help him to live his life more comfortably at home – thanks to your support.

“It was early 2024 when the doctors at the chest clinic told me there was nothing more they could do. They referred me to the nurses at St Catherine’s Hospice, and they’ve been absolutely brilliant. I was so anxious about having a sudden heart attack or running out of oxygen. The nurses have helped me manage my pain and my anxiety, so I can live at home more comfortably. I really look forward to the visits from my nurses Emma and Anni, because they always give me a lift.

St Catherine’s took me from rock bottom and put me on the ceiling!

When they visited, I was very low. But Emma and Anni quickly diagnosed that I needed support and got me the medication I needed. They helped to arrange counselling, too, so I could think more positively. It was Anni’s idea to give me little handheld fans, which help me breathe better when I’m struggling. It’s made a big difference to me. And the support is not just for me, it’s for the people who care for me, too. Sometimes different things crop up and you think: ‘How am I going to solve that?’ But the nurses at St Catherine’s helped me realise there’s always a way. There’s always somebody to help you.”

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