“Hospice care is a way of making the time you’ve got left better”: Mike’s Story

Mike Jackson shares how a chance encounter with Weldmar replaced his fears of the future with a “phenomenal” network of support, comfort, and even a visit from two Christmas donkeys.

On a blustery October day in 2025, Mike Jackson and his wife, Angie, were paying a visit to Weymouth seafront to watch the annual Beach Motocross, when they encountered Weldmar Hospicecare for the first time. Mike and Angie had recently moved to the coast to prepare for retirement after twenty years in Somerset. However, the move coincided with the devastating news that his kidney cancer had become terminal.

“I was really worried about how I was going to die,” Mike says. “I’d seen some upsetting videos online, and I didn’t want that to be me. We were sat in a café having a cup of tea when we saw Weldmar’s Community Outreach Vehicle over the road, and Angie suggested I go and talk to them. I met Fran, and told her about my fears of being in pain and she was so reassuring. It was a wonderful encounter.”

Mike requested a referral to Weldmar from his GP the very next day. He was quickly placed under the care of the South Dorset Specialist Hospice at Home team. Weldmar Community Nurse, Lucy, became a regular visitor, focusing on managing Mike’s severe pain. “Lucy is brilliant,” Mike explains. “If there’s something we don’t know about, we know we can ask her. One thing was a prescription that I had to get on repeat every five days. She made a call and we then had a month’s worth in one go, which really helps take some pressure off.”

When Mike’s pain became too difficult to manage at home, Lucy arranged for him to stay at Weldmar’s Inpatient Unit in Dorchester. For Mike and Angie, this week transformed their understanding of what hospice care truly is. Angie recalls the welcoming atmosphere: “People just kept coming into the room, introducing themselves and saying what they could offer, so you found out quite quickly that so much support was available without having to search these things out for yourself”.

When Mike asked if Angie could stay overnight with him, the answer was an immediate “of course”. Mike says: “What was really good was that the doctors listened to me, and explained things. They made changes to my medication, but I felt I was part of it, I wasn’t just a patient being given the drugs they prescribed.”

The couple was surprised by the breadth of bespoke support available, including a specialist pillow provided by Jane, a Specialist Occupational Therapist, to help Mike sleep better at home. Sarah, who leads the complementary therapy service, arranged to see Mike for reflexology treatments to aid his pain relief, and Weldmar’s Carer Support Coordinator, Chloe, also made herself known, explaining she was ready to provide whatever support Angie, and other family members, might need.

The hospice stay even provided moments of unexpected joy, such as a visit from two donkeys, Albert and Snoop, dressed in Christmas outfits. “The donkeys were brilliant!” Mike says, “and a little bit of happiness like that is absolutely wonderful. I thought it was an amazing place.”

“We thought that hospices were places you would go for a restful death,” Angie told us: “I knew that there was some kind of counselling on offer, but we didn’t have a clue about these other things. It was also a very welcoming place for our family. Our children and grandchildren could visit and we could get them a snack and a drink.”

“The food was really good,” says Mike. “A chef came to see me on the first day and asked what I liked and wanted to eat. One day I had missed breakfast so thought I would push my luck and ask for a bacon buttie—and I got one! It was wonderful.”

While Mike found staying at the Inpatient Unit a life changing experience, his wish is to spend his final days at home with Angie by his side—as his wife, rather than his carer. They know that, if needed, a specialist bed to ensure Mike’s comfort can be arranged, and that the Specialist Hospice at Home team will be on hand to provide care.

To show his gratitude for the “phenomenal” difference Weldmar has made, Mike is using his artistic talents to create artwork that the charity can use for fundraising. “If you can give something back, you should,” Mike says. “When you hear the word ‘hospice’, it’s quite a scary thing. It seems that once you say the word, that’s it for you, but it’s not that way. Hospice care is a way of making the time you’ve got left better.”