Motor Neurone Disease patient Ian Campbell has praised the ‘caring and amazing’ staff of The South Buckinghamshire Community Hospice – and says they have helped him to remain positive.
Former electrician Ian, 62, a father of four from High Wycombe, is terminally ill with the condition that progressively damages parts of the nervous system.
But he says the Hospice has been of huge help to him and his family over the last year, despite his initial reservations about going there.
“I think The South Buckinghamshire Community Hospice is absolutely wonderful,” he said. “Initially, I was resistant to coming. You have an image in your head of a Hospice where people are dying and it’s not like that at all. It is a place where I come where they keep me more independent. Staff are really friendly.
“Everybody seems to be happy and everybody cares.”
Ian attends once a week, receiving physiotherapy, complementary therapies and one to one nursing consultations.
He said: “Recently I came in almost unable to walk after my back went, but by the time I came out, I was standing and walking. The staff are amazing people.
“Psychologically, I was really low when I came in that day, but I was feeling much more positive when I left the Hospice. I would encourage others who need help from a Hospice to come here. It’s worth coming just to see and be amazed. It was nothing like how I imagined it to be.”
Ian’s family is equally grateful.
Son Mark, a 38-year-old guitar teacher, also receives massages when he attends with his father.
“The impression you have of Hospice is that they are gloomy depressing places but we never feel that here. It is full of life – not death. The staff are wonderful,” he said.
“The cards you have been dealt with can make life a lonely place for you to be – but it doesn’t seem so lonely here.”
Ian’s wife June, a 61-year-old counsellor, said the Hospice’s strength is the ‘fun and laughter’. She added: “Hospice staff are here as and when you want them. You know there is support and counselling. There is always someone here to help and talk. If we need to ask any questions, they are here.”
Ian, a karate black belt, had previously been fit and healthy, and had completed three London Marathons a few years earlier.
He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease two years ago, but returned to hospital for checks after the medication didn’t appear to help his mobility and extreme fatigue. It was then that doctors discovered he had Motor Neurone’s Disease.
“The diagnosis was a complete shock,” he said. “I was told it’s life-limiting – a year to three years. But I now know people can live longer. In the last year, we have done as many holidays as we can do and done the things we want to do."
Ian added: “I am more fortunate than so many people. I have got family support. If you don’t have the support I have been fortunate to get, this would make the support from a Hospice even more essential.
“It’s certainly helped me and could help others too.”
