Inspirational Stories

A Place You Go to Live - Ruth Anderson’s Story

It was such a strange feeling to be without pain.

Within half an hour of hospice staff stepping into Ruth Anderson’s home in the middle of 2007, Ruth was amazed that she was pain free after suffering terrible pain for four and a half months. ‘It was such a strange feeling to be without pain – I don’t know where I’d be without Hospice help’ said Ruth. ‘I’m so glad that I contacted the hospice and they were able to help me.’

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March 2006, Ruth was going through her second round of chemotherapy in the middle of 2007 and was at her wits end. ‘I was in a lot of pain and was constantly vomiting. My doctor mentioned something about hospice and my daughter got in touch with them. I didn’t realise I was allowed to go and contact the hospice and get help from them. I thought you could only contact them if you were near the end. But they came to see me, and then they admitted me into hospice and monitored me to control my pain and other symptoms.’

Since then the hospice has had regular contact with Ruth and her family. ‘They ring me every week, and come and visit once a month. If I need them I can contact them anytime, 24 hours a day. They do a wonderful job, and I don’t know where I would be without their help. I probably would have gone around the bend! What would my quality of life be now if there wasn’t a hospice? I dread to think.’

Ruth is currently going through a third round of chemotherapy, and with the help of hospice still has her pain and nausea under control, although she admits that she is extremely tired. She was able to help care for her youngest granddaughter who is one year old. “My youngest grandchild Faith has just turned one and I have been able to spend precious time with her doing normal grandma things. That has been so special for me and would not have been possible without Hospice. Sometimes it is the small things that Hospice does that make such a big difference.” Unfortunately since the latest round of chemo and a recent operation she finds she has no energy, but Hospice is working with her to try and remedy the situation. ‘It’s a little bit hard,’ she admits. ‘But I’ll get over it,’ she adds, revealing her fighting spirit.

A mother of four grown children, and the grandmother of another four children, Ruth worked for Fire Watch NZ before becoming ill.

‘I was always very active until this hit me. I was always on the go. So life has had a big shift since I’ve been ill. I wasn’t overly shocked when I was diagnosed– I’d already figured that something was wrong. But I thought to myself that I’d never been sick for a day in my life, but then when I was sick, I get the big one. I can’t do things by half, can I!’

While there is no history of ovarian cancer in the family, the family is no stranger to cancer. Ruth’s oldest daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was twenty-five. Thankfully, eight years on she is all clear. However, Ruth believes there is a great deal of stigma with the word ‘cancer’.

‘People don’t like to talk about. You can say you’ve had a heart attack or diabetes and people don’t think much of it. But if you say you have cancer there’s still that stigma to the word. And I think there is a stigma attached to the word “hospice”. People mention the word hospice and they think it is a place you go to die. But it’s actually a place you go to live – a place people need to know more about. I can’t believe that hospices have to struggle to fundraise the money – this should be completely government funded. It should be something that is automatically taken care of.’

Ruth has nothing but praise for the help she has had from hospice. ‘Hospice is amazing. Anytime you want any information, you know you can ring them up. And anytime you need anything you have their support. Having them phone once a week is a marvellous thing because you know that someone else is interested in you and you aren’t alone. If you say you feel really down, they ask if you want someone to visit. They are there at the drop of a hat.’

Ruth has stayed at the In Patient Unit for symptom control twice now. ‘The hospital is a sterile environment, but hospice is like being at home. You know that every single person there will treat you with care and understanding. I’m Ruth Anderson to them, not a number, and that makes a difference as well. The staff are wonderful, as are the volunteers. They’ll ask what you want for lunch – and they basically try to make whatever you feel like. It is like going to an extended part of your family.’

‘You go down to the hospice and you might be feeling terrible, but you walk into that place and it is like going into another dimension. The serenity is amazing. You feel the peace when you walk in there. It helps you feel stronger, a lot better. It’s like having a week’s worth of pep pills. I think hospice is an outstanding organisation.’

Karen McMillian