A Derry mum has spoken of keeping her promise to her grandmother after she passed away due to cancer.
The mum-of-seven, Orla Collins, lost her grandmother Lily in 2016 after she was an inpatient at Foyle Hospice.
Ms Collins also lost her other grandmother Angie when she was just 11-years-old, having received palliative care and support from Foyle Hospice.
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The local hospice provides nine-bed spaces in its In-Patient Care Unit, as well as Day Hospice facilities, community nursing, 24/7 Advice Line and bereavement counselling services for both adults and children.
Holding a special place in her heart, Orla helped to care for her granny along with the Hospice staff.
Orla was an experienced carer at the time and had made a promise to her Granny Lily that she would follow her dreams and return to university to become a nurse.
Orla said: “It was always my ambition to become a nurse from my early days as a carer and it was a promise, I made to my granny Lily before she died that I would return to my studies and eventually graduate as a nurse.
"That promise kept me focussed and driven to finish my studies at Magee University and thankfully I managed to achieve my goal and recently took up my full-time post as a qualified nurse, after having my youngest baby Olivia who is currently seven months old.
"Through my own experience, I've seen how committed the Hospice staff are and how their time and selfless acts of kindness and compassion can change the lives of those in the final days of their lives. Hospice is a huge comfort for families dealing with the loss of their loved ones."
She continued: "That's why it's so important that the people of Derry come together and support the Foyle Hospice in its time of need. The Hospice has helped so many families throughout the years and given the impact Covid has had on its fundraising efforts, it now needs the support of the public more than ever.
"The Hospice was such a nice environment for my granny to spend her final days. It didn't feel like a hospital setting, it was very intimate and personalised. The staff were so nice to my granny and allowed me to stay with her every night.
"Nothing was ever a problem and the staff made my granny feel so comfortable and relaxed during what was a very anxious and worrying time. My granny had great faith in her angels and loved spending time reading angel books which gave her great comfort during her time in the Hospice.
"Sometime after her passing, I noticed a photograph being shared on Facebook from someone whose family member also spent time in the Hospice. One of the angel books she was reading had baby pictures of our now 12-year-old twins inside one of the pages which she must have been using as a bookmark.
"I reached out and the lady gave me the book and the photograph which was a lovely keepsake and gave me some comfort."
Like all community-run organisations, the Foyle Hospice fundraising efforts ceased during Covid-19.
And with the total annual cost of providing the services is approximately £3.3 million, community support ensures that they can continue to provide high-quality compassionate care to individuals with life-limiting illnesses while supporting their families and carers.
Orla will take part in the Foyle Hospice Female Walk fundraiser on June 12 with her mother and seven children - ensuring three generations are keeping her grandmothers' memories alive.
"I've participated in the Female Walk many times. It's fantastic seeing so many women getting together and raising money for such a worthy cause, "Orla added. "The Foyle Hospice holds a special place in my heart and I'm also very much about empowering women. The Hospice cared for both my grannies.”
Sheila Duffy, Director of Income Generation and Communications said: “The last two years have been difficult for everyone, we want the Female Walk this year to reunite women and bring them back together, to make difference to their local hospice.
"You can walk to support your local hospice to help us raise funds for our specialist services or walk in memory of a loved one. We are excited to see our ladies out in force this year and we ask that everyone who is able to sign up to join us by walking or running in our iconic Female Walk.
"All proceeds from the Female Walk stay local and every registration makes a difference to someone in our community.”
You can sign up for our female walk in our Fundraising Office or online HERE.
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