Donations to Leamington Rotary Club Trees of Light campaign can give Myton Hospice patients gift of more time

In his final days, Rob was given time to see his son, Tom, graduate, time to visit his sister who was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, time to enjoy ice cream and fish and chips by the seaside with family; and time to see pupils and colleagues at King Henry VIII School where he was a teacher.

In 2015 Rob was diagnosed with a Grade 4 brain tumour, and after two surgeries he was no longer able to walk or talk.

He spent over a month in hospital recovering.

Thankfully, a bed on the Warwick Myton Hospice inpatient unit became available for Rob in March 2015.

The difference in Rob once he was at Myton was huge – his wife Heather remembers a depression being lifted from him while at Myton.

His wicked sense of humour, which disappeared while in hospital, had returned, he was able to communicate again and was able to walk short distances thanks to his medication being balanced and the work of the nurses, doctors, and therapy teams.

Rob was discharged and spent five weeks surrounded by friends and family. He was also able to attend weekly day hospice sessions at Myton during those five weeks. Heather could see a difference in him again - he had been stimulated by the company he was in. It also meant time out for both of them, which gave Heather a much-needed boost to be able to care for him at home.

Heather said: “If he hadn’t come to Myton there is no chance he would have been able to see our son graduate. He was also able to award a prize at the Sixth Form award day at King Henry VIII School. “His appearance had changed quite a lot so I took him to see his form before the awards day – he had aged considerably, he had lost his hair and the operations had left him with scars. I really feel Myton gave him the gift of time to be able to do those things.”

“Rob had quality of life at his end of life – I couldn’t have wished for anything better for him.

“I consider Rob so lucky to be able to have experienced Myton.

“He loved gardening and he loved having a view of the garden from his room on the unit.

“We took him for walks around the garden in the wheelchair and it was little things like this, which you can do easily if you are well, which helped him to carry on being himself without being defined by his diagnosis.”

The charity must raise more than £9 million towards the £12 million needed to continue to provide its services free of charge.

To donate online visit www.mytonhospice.org/TreesOfLight