Caterina Mitchell recalls how Myton Hospice looked after husband Bob, as the charity remembers loved ones with display of 900 metallic butterflies

Cancer and other life limiting illnesses can strike any of us at any time and their effects are felt by many more than the person with the symptoms.

For while they undergo the biopsies and side effects of treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy there are those on the side – family and friends who suffer through fear and not knowing what to do.

This is one of the areas where hospices help.

Long thought of as places to go to die, they are so much more than that, offering palliative support to the patient and all who care for them.

That is what Bob Mitchell and his wife, former Herald receptionist Caterina, found when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in March, 2022, Within days of the diagnosis the couple had support from the palliative care nurses at the Shakespeare Hospice in Stratford.

Caterina said: “I was surprised when the palliative care team and hospice were mentioned. It’s a hard thing to swallow when there are so many misconceptions about them both. But we’ve been pleasantly surprised, the support has been amazing.”

In January 2023, Bob started experiencing problems with his legs which quickly deteriorated. The palliative care team recommended the Myton Hospices to Bob and the family as he was suffering with severe pain, which couldn’t be explained by doctors. He was admitted to Warwick Myton Hospices’ inpatient unit for pain management in October 2023 for five weeks.

Caterina added: “I worried about Bob, of course, but not about his care for the first time since his diagnosis. I could relax knowing Myton were doing everything they could for him. I think it got to the point where Bob didn’t want to come home! The support is like no other and the nurses are absolutely fantastic. We can’t emulate it at home.”

After his stay at Myton, Bob arrived back home, but was still in severe pain. Even with carers in place, Caterina became a full-time carer. Bob returned to Warwick Myton Hospice for a week’s respite care in December 2023.

Caterina added: “We’ve been together for almost 45 years, so being away from him was hard. I visited every day to be with him. But it gives us both a break from the hard work at home. I could rest easy knowing he was well cared for. And I could be his wife again.”

Caterina continued: “All the support we’ve received from all services has been amazing, it’s such a joined-up system.

“I think back to being told the palliative care team and hospices would be providing care and I wish I knew then what I do now. We were so scared as to what it meant, thinking the hospice would be a dark and miserable place where people go to die. But what it means to us is something completely different.

“Myton allowed Bob to be as comfortable and pain free as possible, which is the most important thing. They’re not just here for Bob, but me as well. My mental health and how I am coping is as important to Myton as Bob’s care which means everything.”

Sadly, Bob died in February 2024, just two years after receiving his MND diagnosis.

The cost of providing care for couples like Bob and Catarina is high.

Myton Hospices, which provides inpatient care at its units in Coventry, Warwick and Rugby, receives just 20 per cent of its funding from the NHS. That means it has to raise £11 million of the £14.3m a year it costs to operate. That comes from charity giving and a host of fundraising events.

One such event this summer is the Myton Hospices Butterfly Effect which took flight at Coughton Court National Trust property, near Alcester, last week. The event celebrates the lives of loved ones and the hospice team hopes that it will raise £75,000 to fund the recruitment, training and salary of a registered nurse for 18 months.

The installation consists of more than 1,000 red metal butterflies and already many people have dedicated one in memory of loved ones who are no longer with us. There is still time, however, to make a dedication in return for your own butterfly and support the work of the hospice.

So far 900 butterflies have been dedicated to loved ones raising a total of £50,000.

The display is on until Sunday, 11th August. Members of the Myton team will be there from 11am until 3pm every day except Monday when Coughton Court is closed. To buy a butterfly online, visit www.mytonhospice.org/Butterfly.