Elsie's magical place

Remembering when she was told the news, Elsie joked that the first thing she said to the doctor was:

"You're not taking my breast off, I'm not having radiotherapy, and I'm not having chemotherapy."

The doctor was taken aback but told Elsie that there are other things they can do."I'm not having that either!" she quickly replied. "I've always called it 'my nuisance,' and that was that," she said. "I wasn't in any pain, and it didn't stop me from getting on with life."

Fast-forward 27 years later: Elsie still has the same upbeat attitude, despite living with bone cancer too. Elsie's a regular at Saint Francis Hospice's Pemberton Place. It's our day unit where she enjoys socialising with other people living with life-limiting illnesses, not that Elsie and her friends at our Hospice tend to focus on that.

"We don't come here to talk about our illnesses; we come here to have fun," Elsie declared. "Everybody is so cheerful. The Hospice is my life, and it keeps me going. It's a truly magical place."

If you're a health, social or voluntary care professional and would like to refer someone to Pemberton Place, then you can do so here.