I enjoy making a difference to people's lives

I’m running the London Marathon for Saint Francis Hospice as I love working on the ward alongside a great team. When I talk about working at the Hospice, people will often say how sad it must be. Yes there is no denying the amount of sadness you experience some days but it is so rewarding to see  how much of a difference the care we give can make to people’s lives.

I started working at the hospice when I qualified as a nurse aged 20. I originally planned to become a midwife until I came to the hospice on my final placement. The hospice showed me what nursing should be about and made me realise this was where I wanted to be.

After 6 years, I moved abroad but maintained contact with the hospice until I returned in 2017 to work with the community team. I loved seeing patients in their home but knew if the opportunity arose to work back on the ward, I would take it - that was three years ago.

I enjoy giving care and taking some of the burden off families so that they can get back to being a daughter, son, sibling or friend and not the caregiver.

I sat with a patient recently who talked through his cancer journey from diagnosis and how he had deteriorated over the last few months. He began accepting that this was his journey and how he was going to live until he died. That was until he was contacted by the hospice.

When he eventually came to stay on the ward, he realised he could live a better quality of life. He told me, ‘the hospice has allowed me to live back in my family unit and not as an outsider.’ It is important to know that the hospice is not just a place to end your life, it’s also here to help people live a better quality of life.

Often people don’t realise we are a charity and the amount of hard work that goes into making people aware of the hospice and getting in the funds to keep all the services going really is phenomenal. Requiring new uniforms means we have to raise funds to get them, we can’t just buy them. Needing new beds for the ward, again we have to find a donation or wait until funds are available.

I have run the Dubai Marathon and thought it would be amazing to run the London Marathon. Training has been tough in the hot weather but I’m excited for the day.

And it means so much to know that I will be helping to raise a very small percentage of money to ensure that patients and families continue to get the care they deserve.

Motivate Jo to the finish line and donate: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/AshleyandJo