Crusading teen fights to save threatened Caterham hospice

By dfarbrother david farbrother david.farbrother@essnmedia.co.uk

As he commemorates the one-year anniversary of his father's death, a teenager is battling to save the jobs of the hospice nurses and carers who he says supported his family.

Jack Caffyn, 15, of Bushfield Drive, Whitebushes, Redhill, is campaigning in the memory of his late father David Christopher Caffyn, who died from a brain tumour on November 28 last year.

He pased away while he was being cared for by staff from Marie Curie, based at the Community Hospice, Harestone Drive, Caterham.

Marie Curie has announced it is proposing to shut the hospice on March 21. It is also considering closing the associated services, such as day care, run from the centre.

Staff at the centre told the Mirror last week they were already being offered redundancy packages.

Jack said: "I understand the hospice is to close and I'm angry and shocked. The staff there were just brilliant to us. When my father was ill, they looked after the whole family, not just dad. I can't believe they are being made redundant.

"Dad couldn't have stayed at home. Home care wouldn't have helped us. I know lots of people want to die at home but not everyone does, and it's not always appropriate.

"In our case, with a young family and limited space, it was better for us to have somewhere calm and big enough for him to die with dignity.

"My little sister was just six. We couldn't have had her seeing dad living on the sofa."

Jack said he hoped people would join him in trying to convince the cancer charity to consider other options that would allow the hospice staff to remain helping people in and around Caterham.

He said: "It was so tough losing dad. From the day he was sent home sick from work to the day he died the illness lasted just three weeks.

"We knew he might be ill, but had no idea how bad he was. I remember him taking me to football, as he had done for years, and forgetting the way to the ground.

"Without Marie Curie's support during and after dad's life, I don't know how we would have coped."

Jack's family are giving his campaign their wholehearted support. His sister Bethan, 17, said the family would write to the MP Peter Ainsworth and to Marie Curie.

She also said they would talk to anyone who would listen to make people aware of how much of a loss it would be to the area if the Marie Curie hospice team left.

Bethan said: "We know the building they have is large, but they could run the same service somewhere else. Mum doesn't drive and I don't know how we could have got to a hospice out of the area."

Mum Jackie, 45, said: "My youngest daughter, Rosie, who is seven, heard what was happening and burst into tears, asking what was going to happen to all the lovely nurses who looked after daddy."

She added: "There is no way we could have got through it all with Dave living at home. We've raised money for Marie Curie in the past but in the light of this I think we'll be finding another charity to give to."