Dom house org12/29/2023 It’s over two months now since Dom passed away and Nikki says that every time she looks at the framed photograph taken at St Barnabas, she sees him smiling and it reminds her how happy Dom was at the hospice.įor people seeing the photograph for the first time, the only sign that Dom might have been so unwell are the hospital bands around his wrist. “I promised Dom I would care for him even after he passed away and this I did, even giving him a red rose to take on his journey with him.” A constant reminder of their love ![]() She started, and remained a huge part of, the Hospice at Home service at St Barnabas, delivering care in people’s homes, before she sadly passed away in the hospice herself in 2006. “All the staff were so kind to us and many of them knew my family as my mum, Sandie Betley had worked at the old St Barnabas House building for 20 years. Their youngest son was unable to return from Australia due to Covid restrictions. What makes it even more important is that the photoshoot was the last thing we were able to do as a couple because the next day he really became quite confused.”ĭom’s wish was for Nikki to be on the bed with him cuddling him when he passed away, which she was, with three of his children holding his hands, on 24 November 2021 – six days after the photographs were taken. The whole process helped bring us even closer together and the images capture more than the tattoos, they also capture our unbreakable connection. “Dom loved the idea of the photos as it was something we could do together as a couple. “For Dom, who didn’t want to speak to the hospice counsellors, spending time chatting with Stevan about all our tattoos and life stories was like therapy, and for me too,” explains Nikki. Creative Arts are an important part of the hospice’s care and offer different ways to process emotions and create lasting memories through creative expression. Even though we knew he was very ill, we were able to share so many precious moments together and one of those most memorable times was in the hospice art room.” Working with the Artist in ResidenceĪt St Barnabas House there is a dedicated Artist in Residence, Stevan Stratford, who works closely with patients and family members. I didn’t have to lift him, wash him or feed him, the nurses did it all. “Dom ended up being so happy in the hospice because for the first time in many years I was able to be his wife, not his carer. ![]() We would then sit in the hospice garden together, just as we had done every morning at home, even in the winter. He loved the fact that I had breakfast in bed every morning. We were given a big room where the nurses would push my bed next to his so that we could hold hands at night. “The only way he would go in was if I was allowed to stay with him. “At first he was adamant that there was no way in the world he was going into the hospice,” says Nikki. ![]() Dom had been admitted to St Barnabas House the week before for help with managing his pain but his stay was extended after his condition deteriorated. It was when they told this story to Stevan Stratford, the hospice Artist in Residence, that the idea for the photographs came about.
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