Each of us has many memories of her unique personality; we hope to share some of these with you at a later date. Here we wish to express our thanks to all who helped us to care for her over the past months.
We are so grateful to Dr Crosfield and the staff at Minster Surgery, to Sister John’s amazing night carers Diana, Cristina, and Lorna. Our thanks go to Anne, Belinda, Joyce, Esther and Busayo of Clarity Home Care who provided assistance each morning, and to Monica who faithfully came each evening and with whom Sister John enjoyed many good conversations.
A few weeks ago Sister John fell and broke her hip. For two weeks she was nursed on the Seabathing Ward of Margate’s Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital. Her fracture was inoperable and her general condition deteriorated quite rapidly. When her care needs shifted to end-of-life care, the ward staff coped amazingly, making sure Sister John was pain-free and as comfortable as possible. She was grateful for every assistance and peacefully accepted her situation. She was greatly helped by the hospital Chaplain and was glad to receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick repeatedly.
Providentially, Sister John was then admitted to Margate Pilgrims Hospice which is just adjacent to the QEQM. It is impossible to speak too highly of the Hospice.
The staff, nurses and carers, doctors, volunteers, cleaners, kitchen personnel, each and everyone contribute to the unique atmosphere. Although clearly extremely busy, they give patients and their families a sense of unrushed, sensitive individual care.
We are immensely grateful to all who helped to care for our Sister John so gently, compassionately and professionally, and who extended such an amazing welcome to us and to her family. Her nephews and nieces flew in from Romania, Italy and the Czech Republic, and she was able to appreciate their presence. Their visits were a great support and joy to us, too.
Sr John Baptist died very peacefully in the evening of Monday, 6th November. Two Sisters from our community were with her; Sr Margaret Mary and Sr Walburga and Sharon, a member of the Hospice staff.
If anyone would like to make a donation in memory of Sister John Baptist we would like to suggest a contribution either to the Pilgrims Hospice Margate or to Hospices of Hope, a Charity that has established a network of hospices in South East Europe, notably in Romania, Sister John’s country of origin. The Florescu family donated a property for a children’s hospice in Copaceni, where Sister John spent happy summer holidays with her grandparents as a child. Sister John would surely be delighted if these amazing facilities received much needed funds. |
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