“My biggest fear was that Felicity would die in pain – however, the team at St Giles made sure that didn’t happen” – Bereaved husband shares story as St Giles launches its Urgent Appeal
A heartbroken husband has shared the devastating story of losing his “incredible” wife to ovarian cancer at just 38, as St Giles Hospice launches its Urgent Appeal to secure its future and its vital care services.
Sean Collins watched as his wife Felicity, a dedicated mother to Isla, 10 and Lachlan, aged 8, died at St Giles Hospice in November 2023, following a two-year fight with aggressive ovarian cancer. Described as “the centre of every party,” Felicity was a vibrant, fun-loving woman who dedicated her career to working with severely autistic children.
Sean said: “Felicity was an incredible person – kind, generous, just everything you wanted in a wife. She was the centre of the party, so fun and outgoing, and just amazing to be around. She was a fantastic wife and a brilliant mother to our two children. She worked with severely autistic children – a very hard job, but she loved it because she loved caring for people.”
Now Sean, a 39-year-old police officer from Lichfield, is speaking out about the critical importance of hospice care at a time when St Giles and other hospices nationally face unprecedented financial challenges. St Giles has been forced to reduce bed capacity and implement staff redundancies due to a significant funding shortfall, threatening its ability to provide essential end of life care to local families.
“The biggest shock when I came to St Giles with Felicity was the number of other patients, who were her age,” he said. “There was actually another patient who had gone through chemotherapy with Felicity, also in her 30s, who was dying at the same time because the treatment had stopped working. Hospices are for everybody, not just the elderly, and people have got to support them.”
Felicity’s journey with her illness began on Christmas Day 2022 when she first felt unwell. Initially thought to be COVID-19, her condition deteriorated rapidly, leading to the devastating diagnosis of stage 4 ovarian cancer. Despite responding well to initial treatment, including chemotherapy and major surgery, the cancer returned. The couple later discovered Felicity carried the BRCA gene mutation, information that could potentially save their children’s lives through future testing.
Sean and his children Isla and Lachlan at their special remembrance spot – a peaceful water fountain at St Giles Hospice in Whittington where they return regularly to remember their beloved Felicity.
Sean, who recently participated in the hospice’s fundraising Firewalk, emphasised the crucial difference between hospital and hospice care.
He said: “To me, it’s the dignity that you get here and that one-to-one care that I don’t think you get in hospitals. Our biggest fear was that Felicity would die in pain, however the team at St Giles made sure that didn’t happen. In hospital, I fear that would have happened because they are so stretched.”
The family’s experience at St Giles provided moments of normality during an extraordinarily difficult time. “Strange as it seems, I enjoyed coming to the hospice. We had movie nights with the kids; it felt normal but at the same time very painful,” Sean said.
The Urgent Appeal comes at a critical time for St Giles Hospice. Following a transformation programme that began with a £1.5 million deficit, the hospice has reduced this gap but still faces a budget deficit of approximately £500,000 as it moves into 2025. These financial pressures have led to difficult decisions, including reducing inpatient capacity from 23 to 15 beds and cutting 22 jobs.
The hospice will now focus on income generating activities to further reduce this gap. The current income generation streams including Fundraising, Retail and Lottery are crucial to the hospice’s future, as is the requirement to identify new ways to generate income from both our community and from our healthcare partners.
These pressures mean that St Giles must now focus on their very core specialist palliative care services, while continuing to support the community’s palliative and end of life care needs alongside NHS colleagues and the wider health and care system.
“Hospices have got to keep open,” Sean urged. “I’m going to do something every year to raise awareness and money for St Giles. If everybody did just a little bit, that would help. You never know when you or your loved ones might need a hospice, but when you do need it, you really appreciate that they’re here.”
Speaking about life after Felicity, Sean said: “My children have been my saviours. Before she died, Felicity made me promise to just have fun with the kids and keep doing stuff together as a family. We’re a little team, we do what we can, we remember Felicity, but there will always be a gap there.”
“Without St Giles, Felicity wouldn’t have spent her final days in dignity and pain-free. She died here with us surrounding her,” Sean said.
He added: “You just never know what’s around the corner. I really hope that people can either donate some some money or time to the hospice. Whether that’s fundraising, buying something in a St Giles shop, or helping in other ways – every penny helps. It really does.”
With just 18% of funding coming from the government, St Giles Hospice relies heavily on community support. £32 could fund one hour of specialist hospice care for a patient, like Felicity, while £768 could fund 24 hours of care for someone at the end of their life.
To support St Giles Hospice’s Urgent Appeal , visit www.stgileshospice.com/urgentappeal, call 01543 432538 or text 10APPEAL to 70460 to donate £10.
