Love is in the air at Hospiscare
An elderly Exeter couple are tying the knot after finding love at the city hospice.
Christina Crocker, 67, and Charles Harris, 78, met at the Hospsicare bereavement support group after losing both their spouses. Their friendship blossomed into romance and the couple are marrying in May.
Both had spent many weeks at the hospice in Dryden Road as their partners were cared for by Hospiscare nurses and doctors. Their spouses died within three months of each other.
Now the happy couple have decided to ask wedding guests to donate money to Hospiscare instead of presents. They popped into the city hospice to tell doctors and nurses their news - who were so thrilled they brought out the bubbly to celebrate - see pictures below.
In June 2010 Charles learnt that his wife Barbara, of 52 years had just 24 hours to live. “I had to phone my son and he came racing to see her – Barbara was transferred from the hospital to the hospice and lived for 32 days. She was so happy at the hospice. If anybody could say that they had a happy ending she did. A lot of people are scared of coming here but it’s a beautiful, happy place.”
Christina sat by her husband Brian’s beside every day from 10am until 8pm for several weeks. They were married for 45 years. “Hospiscare don’t just look after the patient, they also look after the family,” she said. “Hospiscare is the local charity we now support.”
After both of them had an “awful” Christmas the couple got to know each other at the monthly Hospiscare tea drop-in and Charles said he had to “polish up his chat up lines” to invite Christina out for a coffee.
“We met at 11am and were still there chatting at 2pm,” said Christina. “We just clicked, we had so much in common. We both live in St Thomas and know the same people.”
Eventually Christina plucked up the courage to invite Charles for a meal. “Because of my husband’s illness I hadn’t cooked for 18 months and I phoned my daughter in a panic, thinking what have I done, I don’t know how to cook! My daughter suggested braising steak and it was fine.”
Charles admitted: “I thought my life was over at 74. It’s when you go home, turn the key in the door and know there’s nobody else home. How wrong was I?!”
The bride-to-be said: “My role in life is looking after somebody and I had nobody to look after. Now I have somebody to get up for in the mornings.”
For Charles this was the second time that Hospiscare helped a family member. He first visited the hospice in 1998 for several weeks when his daughter-in-law was transferred from the hospital maternity unit after giving birth whilst diagnosed with cancer. She died leaving Charles’ son with children aged 10, 8 and five-months.
The couple, who between them have 11 grandchildren and two great grandsons, will be married at Larkbeare House in Exeter.
Every year Hospiscare helps 2,000 people living with a terminal illness and since its inception in 1982 has helped a total of 22,500 people. Most care takes place in people’s homes when Hospiscare specialist nurses regularly visit, the hospice has a 12 bed ward and a day centre.
There are also day hospices at Tiverton and Honiton where patients regularly attend for a day out, a lovely lunch, complementary therapies, emotional support and a chance to talk to people in the same circumstances as themselves. They can also talk to doctors and nurses if they have any medical concerns.
If you’d like to contribute Charles and Tina have a JustGiving page for wedding present donations: https://www.justgiving.com/Liz-Straw
