Julie and Calvin's journey had taken them down a path they never could have imagined, one filled with pain, uncertainty, and a rollercoaster of emotions. It all began in May 2022 when Calvin was diagnosed with oral cancer. From that moment on, their lives as a family had been turned upside down.

Calvin was shown such compassion and wonderful care throughout his stay, nothing was too much trouble for all the staff involved. He was made to feel welcome, everything was provided for and the staff bent over backwards to make him feel comfortable and were extremely attentive towards his needs.
 
Calvin was admitted on Wednesday 9th August to enable the Hospice to try to alleviate some more of his pain. He went in with pain and came out with pain down to zero, now giving him a far better quality of life. We cannot thank the staff enough for this, Calvin is so much more upbeat and positive, which is so comforting for us as a family.
 
Calvin was diagnosed with oral cancer back in May 2022 and has undergone chemo and then gruelling radiotherapy - which has caused most of the pain he has since endured.  Since the radiotherapy finished, he has been on a trial drug which worked for a short while but, unfortunately was stopped recently, due to the tumours in his lung growing slightly.
 
Since his diagnosis, our lives as a family have been turned upside down. Every day is different, one day it's positive, the next day we don't feel so hopeful, it's a rollercoaster of emotions. We are now hopeful that his next round of chemo will keep the cancer at bay but time will tell. We have been told that it will never be cured but we remain positive that the treatment will control the cancer.
 
The care he has received so far from the Beatson, RAH, QEUH has been incredible and we cannot fault the NHS as a whole but the care from ACCORD has been beyond belief, we feel Calvin has come on leaps and bounds since he has been under the Hospice's care, particularly Dr McNeil - nothing is too much trouble for her, she visits us at home most weeks to check in on Calvin and is a good listener and explains why Calvin is experiencing certain types of pain and supports Calvin so much, she instantly gets on to things and sorts out his pain and anything else that he may need. Again, we can't thank her enough for everything she has done.
 
The Receptionist, Trish, on Wednesday was so kind and caring and I had the pleasure of bumping into Jacki on her way out and we had a lovely conversation.
 
I wanted to everyone know how impressed we have all been with the Hospice and, as a family, we can't thank the Hospice and all its staff enough for everything they have done for Calvin in this very difficult time. 
 
Julie and Calvin’s journey is far from over, but the compassion and support they had found at ACCORD Hospice had already made an immeasurable difference. In the face of adversity, they had discovered a community that cared deeply, and together, they faced the uncertain future with newfound strength and resilience.