“In 2021, my wife Sao (Trinh Thi Sao), was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and undertook extensive chemotherapy treatment followed by radiation therapy through Auckland hospital. As a result, the cancer was halted, giving us a little more time with Sao, but eventually it progressed and her life became more and more difficult. At this
Thanks to the amazing generosity of Mercy supporters, Jill Bonniface and her immediate family were cared for at home by Mercy’s Community Palliative Care (CPC) team between 2021-2023. Heartfelt thanks to Jill’s daughter, Clare, for agreeing to share her personal memories with our supporters today. Diagnosed with a brain tumour during COVID-19
Earlier in March, you may have seen our fundraising appeal that told the story of Frances Te Weehi, whose daughter, Leah died at Mercy in 2016 after losing her battle with lung cancer. Frances explains how at one point during her treatment, Leah’s nieces and nephews noticed how she started wearing a hat to
In 2009, my late wife, Carol was a patient at Mercy Hospice. She was such a deeply humble person with a heart that cared so much for others. Yet Carol’s humility always amazed me because of how much personal loss she’d encountered in the space of just a few years. Tragically, when she was 38,
Thank you for helping make ‘10 – A Celebration of Tastes’ such a success and a force for continuing the care at Mercy Hospice. After two cancellations, two lockdowns and enough stress to sink at least a few Titanics, imagine the joy and relief felt by supporters and organisers when ‘10’ finally went ahead
During the first lockdown, the inpatient unit (IPU) at Mercy Hospice was home to a 40-year-old Cook Island Māori, Tahitian man called Wilfred, but to everyone he met, he was ‘Wongs’. With his family based in Tahiti and Rarotonga, Wongs spent his early years in New Zealand, either in care or on the streets.
It is such a privilege to be able to share this account of gratitude and love from Antonia Guttenbeil, whose father Jason passed away at Mercy Hospice in 2018. Thank you also to Dain Guttenbeil, Antonia’s uncle, who continues to provide invaluable cultural insights and learning to the whole team at Mercy Hospice.
Hayley McCarthy’s mum, Col, stayed with Mercy for five weeks in Feb 2021. Around the same time, Hayley decided to get married and wanted to include Col in the celebrations, but she was unsure if this would be a possibility due to Col’s levels of consciousness. “…she’d barely eaten or woken in the days
