The People Behind This Campaign
Every statistic on this website represents a person. A family. A moment that cannot be repeated. These are some of their stories.
If you would like to share your experience of Marie Curie Woolton, or of palliative care in Liverpool, please get in touch.
Testimonials
Our stories
"Two very different angles. Firstly, our mum was treated with dignity and kindness in her final weeks at Woolton hospice. Pain medication was managed. As her three daughters, we were allowed to stay with her — and this was so important, as we had been nursing her in the months before it became too much to manage at home.
On a personal note, I have seen how much the staff at Woolton go above and beyond to support the patient, their family and friends at the most difficult stage of life. I have heard of many amazing examples of nurses giving that extra to ensure peace, comfort, and even joy in the saddest of circumstances.
We all hope we would never need a hospice — but death is a part of life. This hospice cannot be allowed to be forgotten. It is vital. Its nurses want and need to do what they have trained for. It must remain."
"Marie Curie has changed my life. My mum passed away there in 2009. I was 18 years old and needed support — so they also provided a counselling service, which I used after mum died. My mum was cared for with love, dignity, and compassion.
Now I have an auntie with cancer and we won't cope at home. I am desperate for the ward to reopen. Our loved ones deserve to die with dignity."
"When my mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she had spent a lot of time in and out of the Royal. The staff work extremely hard, but they don't specialise in end-of-life care.
Once my mum went into Marie Curie, they managed her pain and sickness and made her comfortable within hours. My young children could do activities during visits. We could bathe her using the specialist bath without causing her pain. She could sit with other patients in the common room. It was a load off our minds to know she had round-the-clock care.
As a family, we raised money for Marie Curie as a thank you. I will forever be grateful."
"My husband was cared for and passed away at Marie Curie in October 2023. The care, compassion, and dignity the staff showed both him and us as a family was simply exceptional.
His wish was to die in the hospice — not at home — because our daughter was so young. He didn't want our home to be associated with his last days. He wanted it to be full of happy memories for her.
What was unexpected was that the hospice itself became a place of happy memories for us, alongside the desperately sad ones. My daughter still attends their children's group monthly.
As much as I am sure the staff providing virtual ward care are wonderful, it breaks my heart that our experience has not been replicated for the many families who have been unable to access inpatient care over the last year."
"Approximately 30 years ago I lost my 45-year-old sister to cancer. Towards the end, Moira went into Marie Curie Woolton. None of the family had a car and it felt far away - but Dad would go and sit with her, just reading the newspaper. One evening, a nurse came and explained the test results to me - concisely, in plain terms, with great care. That support to the family meant everything.
Years later, when Mum needed Marie Curie, the experience was very different. It was hard to get her admitted despite vacant beds. One evening we were asked why we wanted to stay with her overnight. As a result, she passed without us at her side. We were called in the night — but it was too late.
We later asked for a meeting to discuss Mum's treatment and were never given clear answers.
Out of six family members, three have passed with cancer. Two used Marie Curie Woolton - with very different outcomes. Has the service been declining for years before our eyes?
A neighbour was told her brother had 'lasted too long for the funding — he was eating too much.' A school friend recently passed in terrible pain because no staff could visit; her next visit was three days away. She lasted 36 hours. Virtual wards - what a farce. These patients and families need help 24 hours a day.
Shame on those who are accountable. The top brass must be held responsible by the Charities Commission. The reason I want the wards to stay open is because they cared for the family as well as the patient."
Anne