“St Catherine’s helped me start living again”

When Georgina Clark arrived at St Catherine’s, she was worried about what coming to the hospice would mean. This was all the more poignant as Georgina, 57, is a retired Nurse.  

In 2022, mum Georgina, from Penwortham, was diagnosed with neuro-endocrine tumours that had spread to her liver. In great pain from the liver metastases, Georgina was referred to a St Catherine’s pain specialist.  

Georgina says, “Dr Fletcher was wonderful. When I said I didn’t want to be at the hospice, he said, ‘Let’s change that’. We tried many different combinations of pain relief until we found one that suited.  

“Everyone was so lovely – from the nurses to the gardener. Dr Fletcher really saw me as a whole person. He always asked about the family and we managed to have a laugh.   

“I’ve also started seeing Dr Carolyn, a psychologist at St Catherine’s, who has helped me enormously to stay positive and given me advice on how to live well with stress.  

“The treatment has given me a new lease on life. Now, with my pain under control, I feel positive and I’m living a fuller life. I love painting Mandala stones for relaxation, reading and drawing, and have even just taken a holiday with my family.”  

“St Catherine’s helped me start living again.”

“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.

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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