Tom Dunn makes special visit to rugby fan on the Inpatient Unit

When Mike met Tom

We recently welcomed our new Ambassadors to our Winsley site for a tour of the Hospice and to find out more about what we do, both here and out in the community. During that day, Bath Rugby player Tom Dunn popped in to our Inpatient Unit (IPU) to pay a visit to Mike, a committed rugby fan.

Mike, from Horningsham near Warminster, has Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and had been spending the past two weeks on the IPU. Having played at Beaconsfield Rugby Club for over 20 years and for captaining The Bandits, the social side, for a number of years, he told us he first became aware of Dorothy House after buying a Bath Rugby shirt, which had our logo on the sleeve along with testicular cancer charity, It’s in the Bag. Both he and his wife, Liz, were also frequent visitors to our charity shops around Frome and Warminster when they first moved to the area over ten years ago.

A long chat about all things rugby!

Senior Sister, Katie, knew a lot about Mike’s love of rugby, so upon finding out Tom Dunn was visiting the Hospice, invited him down to the IPU for a very special visit. After a quick introduction, Tom sat down for a long and lively chat with Mike and Liz about all things rugby. Discussing everything from Tom’s recent call-up to the England squad ahead of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations to Mike’s rugby background, the two didn’t run short of things to talk about!

Mike’s journey with Dorothy House Hospice Care

Mike also shared what his journey with Dorothy House had been like since his diagnosis, speaking fondly of his Nurse Specialist, Sarah – “Sunshine Sarah” as he’d nicknamed her! – and how much he’d enjoyed his stay on the unit, including the peaceful setting of our gardens.

“When you’re ill, you don’t want to be looking at motorways or anything else. I can go out in the garden and sit and enjoy the tranquillity, which to me is very important. You can close your eyes and listen to the birds. It’s very simple, but it counts for a lot when you’re ill.”

Changing perceptions of hospice care

The kindness of the staff – from the nurses to the care assistants to the housekeepers – was something that Mike and Liz also praised, and their experience of the Hospice had even changed their perceptions. Mike was due to leave the IPU to go home the next day, something which he didn’t think he would get to do.

“You come to a hospice, and you think you’re going to die, but they’ve given me some hope. I can go home for a while, which I never thought I’d do. I can go home and enjoy some time cheering the rugby on the TV!”

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Mike and Liz for sharing their story with us, and to Tom Dunn for taking the time out of his day to visit.