“Weldmar is like a hand, holding you through the process, as one of the members of the family”: Lisa’s story

Susan Etches enjoyed a life full of travel and adventure, with her early life spent in East Africa, the Isle of Man, and Antigua, before spending fifty happy years in Hong Kong and finally settling in Sherborne. When Susan was diagnosed with cancer in early 2025, the family discovered the invaluable support of Weldmar Hospicecare, and their Specialist Hospice at Home Service.

“Staying at home was absolutely fundamental for mum,” says her daughter Lisa, who told us more about the family’s experience with Weldmar. “She loved her home, she was quite a private person, and it was so important for my dad, too.”

The family was introduced to Weldmar soon after Susan’s diagnosis thanks to their supportive GP at the Apple Surgery, and over the coming months would be visited by Weldmar Community Nurses, Assistant Practitioners, and Health Care Assistants, dependent on the need at the time.

Lisa says they felt Weldmar was there for the whole family: “At the very end, we felt incredibly supported by the love and the care of the Weldmar team. They would always ask how we were feeling. They deal with this kind of thing day in, day out, but it felt like we were first. After mum had died, Ava and the team had been there and made my mum look so peaceful, in her bed, and that is my memory of her. She had as best a death as she could possibly have, thanks to Weldmar.”

Lisa says she had no idea that hospice care was available for people wanting to stay at home: “To be with her, especially during that final week, was so important. She had someone from the family with her at all times, and knowing she wasn’t going to die alone was so special. It’s incredible, just absolutely incredible.”

To honour Susan’s memory, Lisa’s family set up a JustGiving page in lieu of funeral flowers. A group of five family members will be running the Bath Half Marathon in 2026 to fundraise for Weldmar. The drive to support the charity stems from, as Lisa describes it, the “positive impact Weldmar had” during such a difficult period.

“If we can support Weldmar to help other people, it will be life changing for them. When hospice care impacts you personally, you realise what a difference it can make.”

Pictured top: Sue Etches (third from left) and her family on a once in a lifetime visit to Kenya in 2022, where she shared her love of Africa with her grandchildren.

Our sincere thanks to Lisa and the family for sharing their Weldmar story, which helps others understand the difference that hospice care can make. If you would be interested in sharing your own experiences of Weldmar care, please contact james.oneill@weld-hospice.org.uk.