“I always said that Mel was the light of my life, so coming to Light Up A Life at LOROS was very apt.”
Grandfather Melvyn Hancox was diagnosed with Multiple Systems Atrophy (MSA) in August 2012. MSA affects both the nervous system and movement and although there is no treatment for it, his wife Margaret, says LOROS helped him enjoy what life he had left.
Towards the end of his life, Mel spent a lot of time at LOROS, both as an outpatient and through using the day therapy service. He died at the Hospice at the age of 59, last October.
Just months after Mel died, his family chose to remember him at the Hospice’s annual Light Up A Life event.
“It was such a lovely way for the family to get together and remember the better times,” said Margaret.
“It also gave us a chance for us to say thank you to LOROS for all of their help and support during Mel’s illness, as well as when he died.
“From day one, the care and help he received was amazing. The nurses were very understanding of his rare condition and they helped as much as they could with his symptoms.
“Staff at LOROS were always asking about his much changing needs and they made sure he had every bit of equipment available that could be of help to him or me.
“Nothing is too much trouble for the staff there; and not just the nurses but the doctors, cleaners, kitchen staff and volunteers all made him and I feel the best we could.”
Mel also had physiotherapy at LOROS to help ease his shoulder pain.
“And during his time in day therapy, Melvyn was able to make each of his three grandchildren a gift to remember him by.”
The care didn’t stop after Mel died though. LOROS has continued to help Margaret since Melvyn’s death by offering her complementary therapy and counselling, both of which she says she has found very useful in coping with her loss.
“I cannot thank everyone at LOROS enough for the loving care they gave Melvyn and myself.
“My family and I will continue supporting LOROS through events like Light Up A Life for many years to come.”
