Jan Holman died at the Hospice of the Good Shepherd.
The way she was looked after and supported during the three weeks before her passing had a big impact on her husband of 46 years, Dennis, a university professor and former Upton High School teacher.
That included arranging for her beloved horse and dogs to visit her at the hospice.
“Jan and I had been enthusiastic hospice supporters long before she became ill. We’d visited several friends over the years and having then experienced palliative care close-up, I decided I resolved that I wanted to do more for the hospice.
“Before all this, we had always been fit and healthy. We never thought much about the future and neither of us had even thought of writing a Will – it was a real shock when Janet was diagnosed. She made her Will soon after the diagnosis and I made one subsequently.
“Everything that has happened brought it home to me how important it really is to make a Will. I realise now that a Will is the most way of making sure that your wishes are followed after you die.
“It’s not just about who you want to leave your money, assets and possessions to: it’s about stipulating your own funeral wishes what and who you want to manage your affairs.
“My own will is simple and took only a short time to prepare. Apart from some bequests to a few close friends and groups, I will be splitting the remaining value of our entire estate – the house, land and possessions – equally between the two organisations that have always been so important to us, done so much for us and meant so much to us, the hospice being one of them.
“It’s not just about who you want to leave your money, assets and possessions to: it’s about stipulating your own funeral wishes what and who you want to manage your affairs.
“A will is the only means of passing things on to others in the way that you want. My message would be ‘don’t delay’. As we discovered so painfully, none of us knows what’s round the corner and none of us will live for ever.
“Apart from anything else, I don’t want my all money and goods going to the Government just because I didn’t get a Will sorted. That’s what would have happened had I not done so. Don’t let that happen to you.”
“I will never be able to thank everyone at the hospice enough for everything they did for Jan, for me, for our friends and for our animals.
“I am so pleased that my final act will go some way to fully express those thanks in a meaningful way.”
Gifts left to us in wills by our supporters are a vital part of our income: They help fund 1 in 5 of our inpatient beds.
We completely understand that your priority is to take care of you family. Any gift you might decide to leave us, no matter how small, will really help. Even just 1% of your estate would make such a big difference to our work.
If you’d like to know more, or if you want to sign up for one of our Will Clinics, email legacy@hospicegs.com or call 01244 851811.