A HEARTBROKEN husband has shared the devastating story of losing his “incredible” wife to ovarian cancer at just 38.
Sean Collins spoke about the need for people to back St Giles Hospice as the Whittington charity launched its Urgent Appeal to secure its future and the vital care services it provides.
The Lichfield police officer watched as his wife Felicity, a dedicated mother to Isla, ten, and Lachlan, aged eight, died at the hospice in November 2023 following a two-year fight with aggressive ovarian cancer.
Sean said:
“Felicity was an incredible person – kind, generous, just everything you wanted in a wife.
“She was the centre of the party, so fun and outgoing, and just amazing to be around. She was a fantastic wife and a brilliant mother to our two children.
“She worked with severely autistic children – a very hard job, but she loved it because she loved caring for people.”
Now Sean, 39, is speaking out about the critical importance of hospice care at a time when St Giles and other hospices nationally face unprecedented financial challenges.
St Giles has been forced to reduce bed capacity and implement staff redundancies in recent months due to a significant funding shortfall, threatening its ability to provide essential end of life care to local families.
“The biggest shock when I came to St Giles with Felicity was the number of other patients, who were her age.
“There was another patient who had gone through chemotherapy with Felicity, also in her 30s, who was dying at the same time because the treatment had stopped working.
“Hospices are for everybody, not just the elderly, and people have got to support them.”
Felicity’s journey with her illness began on Christmas Day 2022 when she first felt unwell.
Initially thought to be Covid, her condition deteriorated rapidly, leading to the devastating diagnosis of stage four ovarian cancer.
Despite responding well to initial treatment, including chemotherapy and major surgery, Felicity’s cancer returned. The couple later discovered she carried the BRCA gene mutation, information that could potentially save their children’s lives through future testing.
“Our biggest fear was that Felicity would die in pain”
Sean, who recently participated in the hospice’s fundraising firewalk, emphasised the crucial difference between hospital and hospice care.
He said:
“To me, it’s the dignity that you get here and that one-to-one care that I don’t think you get in hospitals.
“Our biggest fear was that Felicity would die in pain, however the team at St Giles made sure that didn’t happen.
“In hospital, I fear that would have happened because they are so stretched.”
The family’s experience at St Giles provided moments of normality during an extraordinarily difficult time.
“Strange as it seems, I enjoyed coming to the hospice. We had movie nights with the kids – it felt normal, but at the same time very painful.”
The new Urgent Appeal comes at a critical time for St Giles Hospice.
Following a transformation programme that began with a £1.5million deficit, the hospice has reduced this gap, but still faces a budget deficit of approximately £500,000 as it moves into 2025.
While recent Government funding will help improve facilities, ongoing financial pressures mean it must continue making tough decisions.
These financial pressures have led to difficult choices, including reducing inpatient capacity from 23 to 15 beds and cutting 22 jobs.
The hospice says it will now focus on income generating activities to further reduce this gap.
Bosses say current fundraising through retail and lottery sales are now crucial to the hospice’s future, as is the requirement to identify new ways to generate funding from both community and healthcare partners.
These pressures mean that St Giles must now focus on their very core specialist palliative care services, while continuing to support end of life care needs alongside NHS colleagues and the wider health and care system.
“You never know when you or your loved ones might need a hospice”
Sean said:
“Hospices have got to keep open. I’m going to do something every year to raise awareness and money for St Giles. If everybody did just a little bit, that would help.
“You never know when you or your loved ones might need a hospice, but when you do need it, you really appreciate that they’re here.”
Speaking about life after Felicity, Sean said:
“My children have been my saviours. Before she died, Felicity made me promise to just have fun with the kids and keep doing stuff together as a family.
“We’re a little team. We do what we can and we remember Felicity, but there will always be a gap there.
“Without St Giles, Felicity wouldn’t have spent her final days in dignity and pain-free. She died there with us surrounding her.
“You just never know what’s around the corner. I really hope that people can either donate some money or time to the hospice.
“Whether that’s fundraising, buying something in a St Giles shop, or helping in other ways – every penny helps, it really does.”
With just 18% of funding coming from the Government, St Giles Hospice relies heavily on community support – £32 could fund one hour of specialist hospice care for a patient like Felicity, while £768 could fund 24 hours of care for someone at the end of their life.
To support the Urgent Appeal, visit www.stgileshospice.com/urgentappeal, call 01543 432538 or text 10APPEAL to 70460 to donate £10.
