Doctors give hope to dying Exeter man
Hospiscare nurses and doctors have given hope to a dying Exeter man who is now looking forward to spending a very special Christmas with his new found family.
Richard Potts, 66, arrived 20 days ago at the city hospice two stone underweight and hallucinating because he was not eating nor taking his medication properly. But he is leaving tomorrow (Friday) with a spring in his step and is looking forward to spending time with the daughter he didn’t know existed until four years ago when he received a “bolt out of the blue” letter from her asking to get together.
He is hoping to spend time with Michelle, 50, who lives in Kent and his granddaughter Ashley,28 , who lives in London.
“I was struggling to get the care I needed until I came to the hospice. I have been given an extra lease of life and can now face up to my destiny having talked to the hospice chaplain and received all the love, care and attention from the beautiful Hospiscare staff. They have told me the truth which is what I wanted to know.
“I feel as though my life is complete. I have a family that loves me and to come to the hospice and be loved; I feel so much more comfortable.
“I thought I was going to die, I fully expected it. When you hear the word hospice the first thing you think of is death but it’s not like that here. Everybody who works here, from the doctors, to the housekeepers, catering and medical staff never cease to amaze me. They cannot do enough for you.
“It’s almost as if they are members of my family; I’m not just a number here. I have watched them looking after other patients and seen how gentle they are with people who have got all sort of aches and pains or bed sores and they are so gentle and so caring. It’s better than staying in a five star hotel.
Richard will be going to live with his sister Cassie in Paignton. She said: “He was hallucinating when we brought him in and he was not our Richard. We thought he was in on the final slippery slope and we cannot believe what Hospiscare staff have done for him. He’s nearly back up to his normal weight and they have fine tuned his medication so we’ve got our Richard back.
“The hospice is so full of love – you feel it when you walk in the door. Everybody here has been so honest, truthful and kind.”
Richard was diagnosed with terminal cancer in September and it was his daughter Michelle who brought him into the hospice after finding him on the floor of his Alphington home.
Their relationship began in 2010 when Michelle discovered her father’s identity and wrote to him.
Richard and his late wife Sandra, who were married for 42 years, had tried for many years to have children and eventually gave up. “So when this letter arrived from Michelle it was even more mind blowing. I had always wanted a child. It was total utter disbelief. It took me a long, long time, many weeks to get my head around it.”
He emailed Michelle immediately and soon pieced together the whole story. Richard learned that when he was just 17 and in the Merchant Navy – unbeknown to him – a former girlfriend had a baby who was then adopted.
Richard had first hand experience of Hospiscare four years ago when his wife, Sandra of 42 years was dying of cancer. Hospiscare nurses visited Sandra at home and provided medical equipment to make her more comfortable.
When she died in 2007 Richard was also receiving treatment for throat cancer. “She died at home which is what she wanted. They made her life comfortable up to the end.”
Michelle phoned Richard one day and asked if he wanted to jump out of a plane at 15,000 ft to raise money for Hospiscare. “She has my taste for adventure. I was always a daredevil. So we did and raised £2,000.”
Their relationship has strengthened, Richard has decorated her Kent home and she has taken his cat which he can no longer look after.
Richard has also asked the Hospiscare house clearance team to clear his home as he wants to support the charity which is looking after him.
