“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.”
Helen Keller
Attending the funerals and memorial services of patients we’ve cared for is a special and important part of our work.
Giving us an opportunity to pay our respects, to acknowledge our own feelings of grief and loss for the person we have come to know and providing valuable insights as we continue our bereavement support for their loved ones.
Please see below this reflection shared by our Clinical Nurse Amy Cadd on Wednesday.
“Along with one of my colleagues, I attended a funeral today.
It was beautiful.
It’s such a bittersweet privilege to learn about this person we cared for – a summary of their life in biography, personal stories and pictures.
To see the people whose lives they influenced, to feel the depth of emotion and grief.
Learning about the things they loved in their youth and unexpected anecdotes that result in that precious mixture of tears and laughter.
Tonight I lit the candle given to myself and all my colleagues by our fearless leader at our end of year gathering.
The intention was to light it in memory of all those we’ve journeyed with through their dying process this past year.
There’s a lot.
So many moments of gratitude and grief.
I am humbled and grounded by this work.
I am grateful and I honour all those who trusted us to be their guides and support at such a vulnerable time.
Thank you “
Amy Cadd
