I have been a volunteer for Rotorua Community Hospice for\nover twenty years. I first started when a friend said they needed help\nanswering phones at the cottage (the previous Hospice building). One day, I\nsuggested hosting a garage sale as we had lots of items donated. We held two\ngarage sales within a month at the race course. After that, the idea for a\nRotorua Hospice shop was born and\u2026 here I am. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My husband, Ray, died in 2011 from stomach cancer. I still\nremember the moment the doctor, looked at Ray as he leaned over for something and\nsuggested he go to hospital for some check ups. We weren’t even at the Doctor\nfor that reason. They found tumours in his stomach. It was so unexpected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We had a great life together. Ray always wanted to be a\nradio DJ. He joined a local volunteer station and I answered the phones! We\nmanaged hotels and started at the Princess Gate in Rotorua \u2013 it\u2019s astonishing\nto see how much that place has changed. We would spend time at Pukehina beach.\nRay loved fishing! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually, Ray started going downhill. Hospice started\ncoming 3 \u2013 4 times per week. Ray accepted it and got to really love the nurses.\nHe would wink at them as they came in the door. He was a flirt. He really was.\nHe loved them coming; it was a break in his day. He\u2019d laugh and talk with them. He never\nappeared to be suffering \u2013 that\u2019s the main thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When they (Hospice nurses) came into the house, we never\nfelt they were in a hurry to get away. Friends came but a lot of people are\nembarrassed at the thought of someone being so sick. The nurses were good at\ndiscussing problems \u2013 as small as they may seem, the nurses always had an\nanswer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our corgi, Travis jumped up on the couch every morning to\nsay hi to Ray. The morning Ray died, Travis walked right past him and out the\ndoor. He didn\u2019t come to say hello. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was already involved with Hospice when Ray was diagnosed\nand I think it helped. He already knew people involved so Hospice wasn\u2019t a\nstrange word. I suppose it gave him confidence they would look after him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t ever be frightened to ring Hospice and get support.\nThey are wonderful. It\u2019s not necessarily the end \u2013 they can help. The thing is\nwhen you’re a patient or a friend of a patient you don\u2019t know how to deal with\nit. They do. That\u2019s why I would do anything for Hospice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rest in peace Ray Hedgeman 24\/2\/1934 \u2013 18\/10\/2011<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Don\u2019t ever be frightened to ring Hospice and get support. They are wonderful. It\u2019s not necessarily the end \u2013 they can help. The thing is when you’re a patient or a friend of a patient you don\u2019t know how to deal with it. They do. That\u2019s why I would do anything for Hospice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1620,"template":"","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rotoruahospice.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/1619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rotoruahospice.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rotoruahospice.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/stories"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rotoruahospice.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/1619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rotoruahospice.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rotoruahospice.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}