24 Feb 2025 Patient and Family Stories

A Granddaughter’s Love: How The Kirkwood Brought Comfort in a Time of Loss

The Kirkwood meet many families facing the most difficult moments of their lives. Each story is unique, yet all are bound by love, grief, and the need for compassionate care. Jordan Brook and her family were one such family, navigating the devastating illness of a beloved grandmother while searching for support, dignity, and comfort in her final days.

Jordan Brook was 23 years old when her world was turned upside down. She had always shared a close bond with her grandmother, Heather Clayton, a vibrant, kind-hearted woman in her early seventies. More than a grandparent, Heather was a second mum to Jordan, offering warmth, guidance, and a shared love of baking.

"In the summer, my grandma started experiencing severe back pain, but at first, we were told it was just sciatica. We had no reason to doubt it, but then her back suddenly locked up, and she had to go to A&E. That’s when they started doing more tests, and we were given the devastating news, it wasn’t sciatica at all, but stage four lung cancer. It had already spread to her spine, and the damage was so severe that her spine actually fractured. From that moment, everything felt like a blur. She was taken to hospital for an emergency spinal operation. At the time, the focus was entirely on her back, so there was very little talk about the cancer itself. The priority was stabilising her physically before they could even think about treatment. But looking back, I think we fell through the system. We spent weeks waiting for results, waiting for decisions while my grandma was just getting worse."

Two weeks passed with little progress. Then, a moment that no family should have to experience a surgeon delivered the devastating news.

Jordan said: "We were still in hospital, and despite everything, we hadn’t actually spoken to an oncologist. No one had sat us down to explain what was happening, what the plan was, or what the prognosis looked like. Then one day, completely out of the blue, a surgeon walked in and told us, ‘I’m sorry you should have been told this. You’ve only got weeks to live.’ That was the first time we were given the full picture, and it was utterly heartbreaking. The cancer had spread everywhere, her legs, her spine, her skull. Despite that news we were also incredibly lucky because that surgeon was amazing. He arranged for her to come home, which was all we wanted. We didn’t want her to spend her final days in a hospital where she felt like just another patient. We wanted her to be surrounded by family, in her own home, where she felt safe and loved."

At this heartbreaking moment, Heather’s family made the decision to bring her home, where she could be surrounded by love in a familiar place. This is where The Kirkwood became part of their journey.

"Once my grandma was home, that’s when The Kirkwood got involved, and from the very first visit, we felt the difference. The nurse that saw us was calm, reassuring, and just so kind, she told us exactly what we needed to hear. From then on, every person who came from Kirkwood was just incredible. They checked on my granddad, made sure we were all coping, and explained everything with such care and compassion. We would always say after each visit, ‘They’re just amazing.’ They weren’t just looking after my grandma, they were looking after all of us."

On 6th September, just ten weeks after her diagnosis, Heather Clayton died at home, surrounded by her loved ones. The grief that followed was deep and painful, especially for Jordan, who had lost one of the most important people in her life.

A month later, Jordan reached out to The Kirkwood’s counselling services: "I think I reached out to The Kirkwood for counselling around October 2024. I know that people say you should give yourself time before seeking help, but I also knew that my grief wasn’t something that was just going to fade with time. Jonathan, my counsellor, was brilliant. At first, I told myself that I was only going to talk about the hospital experience, the medical side of things, how my grandma was treated. But Jonathan didn’t just focus on that. He helped me talk about my grandma as a person, about our relationship, about what she meant to me.

Grief is so complex, and sometimes you feel like, ‘Oh, well, other people have lost their mums or their dads, so maybe I shouldn’t be struggling this much.’ But Jonathan never made me feel like my grief was any less important. He understood how much my grandma meant to me, and he helped me honour that relationship. That meant everything."

For Jordan, Heather’s influence remains ever present, especially in her passion for baking.

She said: "My grandma’s love of baking shaped my entire career. I work at Dr. Oetker, which is a baking brand that makes cake mixing decorations, and I genuinely got into it because of her. She was always so excited to hear about what I was baking at work. Every time we spoke, she’d ask, ‘What have you been making today?’ It became our little tradition, talking about new recipes and ideas. Even now, whenever I bake, I think of her. It’s my way of keeping that connection alive. I feel so lucky that I have this part of her with me every day. It’s like she’s still with me, guiding me, encouraging me. That’s really special."

She also carries forward something else, a commitment to The Kirkwood: "It’s absolutely heartbreaking that more isn’t being done to support The Kirkwood. The fact that they’re a charity and rely on donations is just shocking to me. The care they provide is so vital. The Kirkwood was with us for only two weeks, but in that short time, they touched my entire family. I can’t even imagine how many other families they’ve supported over the years. It makes me so angry to think that services like this are at risk. I was speaking to someone from The Kirkwood the other day, and they mentioned how, if just one footballer donated a month’s wages, it would make such a massive difference. And it’s so true, they don’t need that money, but places like The Kirkwood do. This is where the money should be going, to the people who are actually making a difference."

At The Kirkwood, we do more than care for patients we support families, we offer guidance, and we ensure that no one faces their hardest days without a compassionate hand to hold. For Jordan, Heather, and their family, we were able to step in at a crucial moment, providing comfort, dignity, and peace.

Their story is a reminder of why our work matters, why hospices need support, why compassionate care must always be prioritised, and why every family deserves the opportunity to say goodbye with love, not fear.

Heather Clayton’s story is one of love, strength, and legacy and The Kirkwood are honoured to have been part of her journey.

The Kirkwood is currently under financial pressure however we want to try and keep as many services as possible going moving forward, you can help us do that in a really easy way by becoming a regular giver. Giving money to The Kirkwood every week really helps and makes a difference to the lives of the patients and families we support. Become a regular giver by clicking the link HERE.