I would have been lost without the hospice! Eric tells us about his hospice journey.

Hospice patient, Eric Joinson is a really interesting person. He is so knowledgeable about a range of subjects, particularly related to archaeology and conservation and it’s a pleasure to sit down to have a chat with him.

We recommend it highly.

It is fair to say that he’s had some really serious challenges with his pancreatic cancer, but he told us that as far as he is concerned, the hospice has helped him overcome so many of them,

“I’d been experiencing pain in what I thought was my lower stomach and back for a little while and put it down to the work I’d been doing as a park ranger at Port Sunlight River Park.

I was approaching my sixties so, naturally, climbing up ladders, mending fences or kneeling down to tend to all kinds of jobs was putting some strain on my back and shoulders.

However, after feeling particularly run down and getting some signs that all was not well in my abdomen I visited my GP who referred me to Arrowe Park for blood tests.

It was naturally upsetting for myself, and my wonderful wife Julia, when soon after, in May 2024, I was given a stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis. I had a tumour and the cancer had spread into other tissues and bones.

We asked all the obvious questions about how long I might have. However, I knew, and have now had it reinforced by my own experience that no-one can give you a definite answer. From the resulting conversations and our own research, I was estimating three months to maybe one year.

With Julia’s support, we were going to investigate all the treatment and therapy options and give it our all.

An initial problem with a stent fitting in my pancreas was eventually resolved and between the intervals of chemotherapy I was doing quite well.   

I’d also been referred to Maggie’s Cancer Centre for some complementary therapies, taking part in Tai Chi and other supportive activities.

I’ve got to be honest, we stumbled upon the possibility of hospice care.

It was Julia who picked up a hospice leaflet at Maggie’s and we talked about whether it would be worth investigating.

Honestly, again, I thought hospice services were just for end of life care and I said to Julia at first, ‘that’s where you go to die!’

How wrong I was!

Soon after being referred as an outpatient in 2025, I met the brilliant hospice consultant Dr Helen Emms. I embarked on the hospice wellbeing courses which were helping Julia and I live as well as possible in our lives outside of the hospice.

If I had any issue with medication or other health issues Dr Helen was my advocate within the health system to get things sorted.

In Summer 2025, we felt blessed to visit Avebury and Stonehenge and witness a sunset. I’d also done a simulated skydive in an iFly and were making visits to our lovely niece, Giovanna, and her three children in Northamptonshire.

I felt quite well.

So, in early winter when I started to get some more severe pain, I was happy, on the recommendation of Dr Helen, to be admitted to the hospice inpatients ward to get some specialist care and support with symptom management and pain control. I was home after three weeks in time for Christmas.

The pain returned in January 2026 and another visit to inpatients saw my pain medication switched from oral to intravenous. After another three weeks I was home again with drip apparatus and with help from the community nurses.

With more prescribing by Dr Helen, I’m now on a new medication which does not require the apparatus and it is allowing me, as far as possible, to feel ‘normal’.

I would have simply been lost without the hospice and here I am nearly two years later and have to say I have met some really wonderful people along the way and am still planning for some nice breaks with Julia.

I cannot thank the hospice enough.”

People involved with Eric’s care at the hospice describe him as ‘a lovely man,’ ‘funny,’ ‘good company,’ ‘interesting,’ ‘philosophical’ and ‘wise.’

He totally is and for him and Julia agreeing to share their story, and for the times we’ve also welcomed them into fundraising when they’ve made a kind donation (they really don’t have to) we cannot thank them enough.

To great people we always say thank you. To Eric and Julia we say THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH!