“MY MUM was an amazingly strong person, who always had a smile on her face.”

These are the words of Chipping Sodbury resident Sarah Poole, who lost her 52-year-old mum Ros Cox to pancreatic cancer just six weeks ago.

In her final few weeks of life, Ros was cared for as an inpatient at St Peter’s Hospice in Bristol, which provides care for people with life-limiting illnesses in South Gloucestershire.

Now, Sarah wants to pay tribute to both her mother and the “amazing” hospice staff who looked after her to coincide with International Nurse’s Day on Friday, May 12.

“We met many nurses at the hospice and they were all amazing, not just for mum but also for me and dad,” Sarah said.

“There are no words to describe how much they supported our family, we are so grateful.”

Ros, who worked as a hairdresser at Janet’s in Chipping Sodbury, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2016.

“From that day on, our lives changed forever,” Sarah said.

“It was absolutely devastating. I remember thinking: how am I going to cope with this?”

Wanting to feel as well as possible in her remaining months, Ros made the brave decision to not undergo cancer treatment.

She was allocated a community nurse from St Peter’s Hospice, Angie Moller, who visited her house to help with pain management and provided support for the whole family.

Angie said: “It was very rewarding caring for Ros and her family, knowing that we have made their life more comfortable and this difficult time more bearable."

Thanks to the support of Angie and her family, Ros was able to enjoy Christmas at home with her family and first granddaughter, Lucy, who was just six months old at the time of her diagnosis. 

Unfortunately in March this year, her health deteriorated and it was decided that she would be most comfortable as an inpatient in the hospice. 

“Mum was such a strong person, but she was very anxious at that time,” Sarah said.

“She didn’t have any energy at all, but when I told her that Angie had secured her a bed at the hospice it was like a weight had lifted from her shoulders.

“An ambulance arrived that same day, and by the afternoon she was in the hospice, in a lovely room looking out onto a garden.” 

On March 27, Ros sadly passed away. In honour of her mum, Sarah is now raising money for St Peter’s as part of their September Bristol Bubble Rush race, a 5k course that participants can run, jog or walk.

So far, she has raised over £1,000 for the hospice, who rely on donations to provide their services to the community.

She said: “I wanted to do something for mum, and to thank the incredible staff who helped us all.” 

St Peter's Hospice provides care and support for people suffering from life-limiting illnesses and their families.

All of the care is provided free of charge, however it costs around £19,000 a day to provide the care. Most of this money comes from gifts in wills, donations fundraisings and their shops.

To donate to Sarah's cause, visit her Just Giving page here.

To find out more about St Peter's Hospice, and the incredible work they do, visit their website here.