Joan Faria from Ilford is living with stage four breast cancer. Here she shares how the holistic care and support she has received at Saint Francis Hospice has improved her quality of life and taken away her fear of hospice care.

I was one of those people who did not want to hear about the hospice at all. The last time I was here was 11 years ago when my sister-in-law died and this made me very fearful of the hospice.

I have had some experience of mindfulness and when Sharon from the therapies team got in touch and offered me mindfulness sessions over the phone, I was happy to give them a try.

The sessions took place on a Monday morning when I would be waiting for a call from my oncologist and I found they really helped me.

When I made my way up the waiting list last November, I started having reflexology and that has been amazing.

Chemotherapy makes my feet really sore and I didn’t think I’d be able to let anyone touch my feet. Sharon is a fantastic reflexologist and she touches my feet with such care that it makes me feel so loved.

I am more relaxed on the days I have reflexology. Even though I am managing well, living with cancer for over four years takes its toll and it is hard having that knowledge in your head all the time.

I have come here for something lovely and I had no idea the hospice offered services like this. What is very good about the hospice is the holistic care it offers. Quality of life is important to everyone and when people are end of life, the hospice uses every means they can to make people comfortable and that their life and wishes really matter.

I have also been having weekly counselling online with Naina, who is one of the hospice’s volunteer counsellors, for around a year now.

Initially I thought that I didn’t need counselling, but there is always plenty to talk about!

Most of the time, we don’t even talk about cancer. However, I find that the mental weight of having an incurable cancer diagnosis makes other difficulties in life harder to deal with, so we often discuss these and Naina helps me come up with practical coping mechanisms.

Counselling gives me a safe space to talk about anything that is troubling me.

As far as hospice care goes, I have just dipped my toes in the water but it means that if I need the hospice in the future, I won’t be afraid to get the care and support I need.