Jim Hardy recently won a whopping £1,000 in the St Barnabas lottery, a prize that must be won by one lucky winner every week.
Jim has played the lottery for seven years, along with his mother and brother, to thank the charity for the end-of-life care given to his father Steve.
Steve loved fishing and made his passion into his job as he worked in outdoor and fishing shops after first working as an art teacher and postman. Jim remembers his father as an avid reader of World War books, model aircraft builder and having a flair for cooking.
Steve was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and suffered a heart attack at the age of 50, which is when he took an early retirement. The family received a big shock in July 2015 when, after he had not been well for some time and suffering particularly from a painful back, he was given a diagnosis of cancer in his spine and lymph nodes.
Jim says: “Dad was in hospital for a while, which he really didn’t take well to – the constant noises, flickering lights, and general hustle and bustle agitated him. He came home and St Barnabas nurses supported him there, installing a syringe driver into his arm which gave a regular dose of morphine to help with the pain.”
After some time, Steve was taken to the Inpatient Unit in Lincoln, where St Barnabas staff could look after him around the clock.
Jim says: “Dad experienced more peace here – it was much quieter than the hospital and we didn’t have to adhere to any visiting times, we could stay as long as we wanted. The staff quickly became like friends; they really are experts at giving wonderful end of life care and providing support to family members. We felt so welcome, and nothing was too much trouble.”
During the five weeks Steve was in the Hospice, Jim and his family (including his Mum and his twin brother) rotated their visits daily. During Steve’s final week, Jim’s family stayed at the Hospice overnight, with one family member always awake by Steve’s bedside.
Jim says: “The care we received that week was amazing, and we are incredibly fortunate that we got to experience this time as a family. To grieve, laugh, cry, and reminisce together before death is an incredibly special thing, and we are forever grateful to St Barnabas making this time so memorable.
“The last few months before Dad’s death was obviously an emotional time for all of us. It was incredibly sad seeing Dad get worse, but it was a time that allowed all the family to come together too. We shared stories of past times, talked about our futures, and I learned so much about my Dad that I’d never heard before.”
Steve Hardy died on 10th November 2015 in the St Barnabas Inpatient Unit, surrounded by his family. Ever since, Jim and his family have been supporting the hospice care charity, by playing the weekly lottery as well as other initiatives and fundraisers.
Jim says: “I felt a little guilty when I found out I had won £1,000! But this changed to feeling lucky when I realised that for a lottery to exist, there must be some winners. My wife and I bought a house last summer and with this money we’ll buy a few things for our garden.”
Every Friday, the charity’s lottery is drawn, with the top prize of £1,000 going to one lucky winner and a rollover game up to £7,000. Further prizes are £300, £200, and £100 which must be won every week.
To find out more about the St Barnabas Lottery and to sign up, visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/lottery/