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Hospice is a very scary word to those who don’t know the great work they do;
people assume you go there to die. Paul was in St Clare’s for two weeks while
they got his pain and meds under control and I am so pleased he went. It gave
me the confidence and rest to be able to carry on; they even have a bedroom that
we were able to stay in as a guest. Whilst in St. Clare’s, I turned 47 and Paul was
determined to come out and celebrate my birthday with me, even though he was
so sick, he made it and it was such a great accomplishment for him. We were only
able to spend another 10 days at home together until he finally had to go back into
St. Clare’s and ultimately there was no coming home. I stayed in the guest room
and the mattress was like sleeping on a garden gate so we ordered a new one, so
that other families would also benefit from it.
Paul died peacefully on 30th August 2015 aged just 52 years old. After spending
a wonderful 27 years together I sadly lost him only two days before we could
celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, but even then he left me an anniversary
card.
Life has been pretty tough since Paul died. When you spend more than half your life with someone you actually feel lost and don’t know
what to do; I didn’t even know which bin went out on what day.
I bought myself and the girls a pendant with Paul’s ashes in so he could always be close to us. I have his ashes in a heart shaped necklace
and the girls have their Dad’s ashes in a ring with a blue stone so that Paul can one day walk them down the aisle.
I can’t thank St. Clare’s enough for all the support and help they have given me and my girls. Since Paul’s death, we have thrown ourselves
into fundraising as it makes us feel like we are giving something back and also helping others who might be facing the same devastating
situation we did.
We created TEAM MAC after taking part in our first
fundraiser the Colour Rush. From then TEAM MAC
developed and our Bob the Builder logo was born. We’ve
now raised over £14,000 - £2,500 for Macmillan and
£12,000 for St Clare’s. My focus is really on St Clare’s,
as they rely on fundraising to raise £1.4m of their annual
running costs. Paul was so popular and that really shows
with the different members of TEAM MAC which includes
family, friends and people who have worked with Paul
over the years. They’ve all clubbed together to support us
and do their bit. I cannot thank everyone enough who has
taken on fundraising as part of TEAM MAC!
We had 32 TEAM MAC members dressed as Bob the Builder braving the North Sea for the Boxing Day Dip. We then had 47 members of
TEAM MAC taking part in the Rainbow Dash and what a brilliant day we had. Thankfully we missed the rain, although I did have green and
blue hair for about a week afterwards!
The girls also try to fundraise at every opportunity! They have been raising awareness of skin cancer and how important it is to use
protection in the sun which has resulted in them winning an award which Paul would have been so proud of. Our latest event is a charity
fundraiser to mark the 1st anniversary of Paul’s passing taking place on September 3rd.
I cannot believe where the year has gone and how supportive people have been with the incredible donations and prizes; I could burst
with pride. It goes to show how much Paul and I are thought of by family and friends and the fact I couldn’t have got through the past year
without them. Special thanks to my sister, Debbie, who is never far away. She is my sister, best friend, my legal counsel, advisor and my
‘go to girl’ when things get rough.
It’s a scary world you enter when your loved one is being cared for in a hospice. But having the help and support of the doctors and nurses
24 hours a day is a great comfort to the people who are left wondering what is going on and what to do. Everything they do guides you
through the process and gives great strength and dignity; nothing is too much trouble for them. The team really do go above and beyond;
you never know when you will need the help of St. Clare’s and we will continue to support them.
Helen MacKerill, Paul’s Wife
Telling our girls was the most heart breaking thing I have or will ever
do in my life.
If the story of the MacKerill family and TeamMac has inspired you to raise funds for St. Clare’s, then we would love
to hear from you. You can get in touch by calling 0191 529 7100 or emailing
Information on our services and whether they might be suitable for you or someone you know together with
of our forthcoming events are on our website
or via our Facebook page.
