Mario

The staff are all so caring and give so much attention and I really admire their strength. Being at Clarkson House is like being home; there’s a wonderful quietness about the place, and the gardens are so relaxing. Nobody wants to be there, but it’s a very beautiful place to be if you have to be.

I first met Gina in Madeira, we knew each other as children as we went to the same school. I then went away to the Army and met her again when I went back to my home town. I remembered her and then we got talking and that was that - we got married and then moved to Jersey. While at Clarkson House, we received a blessing by the island’s Portuguese priest which was wonderful, it meant the world to me and made such a difference in how I was feeling.

Gina used to have a carer come to the house as well as going to the Day Hospice three days a week. She loved the company of the nurses and the other patients and really missed it when she couldn’t go.

Gina had a major operation in 2007 and we were given the choice as to whether we wanted to know how long the doctors thought she had to live. We were both glad of this choice and both chose not to know the reality of the situation. A lot changed over time, but my love for her did not. When you really love someone it doesn’t really matter. Of course you don’t forget the awful moments, but you learn to live with them and remember the better times, I still remember us being happy at home and laughing together, sharing dinner and watching films

For a long time after Gina’s diagnosis, I was angry and I got quite depressed for a while, but I gradually learnt to cope. My work colleagues were a fantastic support in seeing me through and pushing me on. As Gina’s situation worsened, we lived each day, by the day and took what came as best we could. It never really sank in, that Gina was going to die, she was my childhood sweetheart my first and my last love and she will always be in my heart’.