26 Dec 2018 Care

Cooking up a Storm

Trisha Ward, of Sheepridge, was recently a patient on Kirkwood’s In-Patient Unit. Earlier in December, she was discharged and able to go home; something which she puts down to the amazing food at Kirkwood. This is her story:

Trisha said: “Before I was ever ill, I loved my food and I had a huge appetite. The biggest appetite out of all my family. They used to all laugh and joke because I was quite slim and I could eat whatever I wanted.

“When I got ill, I suddenly went off my food. I didn’t have an appetite for anything and that’s when I knew I was really poorly.

“I ended up in hospital and I really couldn’t eat anything then. Nothing appealed to me. My brain knew that I needed to eat, so I would, but I never wanted to.

Trisha Ward ready to be discharged to her home in Sheepridge

 

“But then I came to Kirkwood and everything changed. I met the new Chef, Matthew, and he came round to talk to me about food. He asked me what I liked to eat, and I said that I could tell him what I used to like to eat, but that I wouldn’t fancy it now.

“He sat down, and he really listened to me. It was so nice that he took the time out to talk to me, and put himself on my level. He was very humble and gentle, but I thought he’d forget all about it.

“The very next day, he’d gone away and thought about it and he brought me one of the meals I said I really liked. I felt really emotional. It was so lovely of him to not only remember, but make that as one of his very first meals, especially for me.

"Before I was eating because I knew I needed to keep my body alive, but now I am enjoying food again." Trisha Ward

“It was fresh tagliatelle, which was heaven on a plate. I started to perk up a little bit and started thinking about what I might eat next. The next day he asked me how the dish was, and for any feedback on how he could improve it. The actual presentation of the food so appealing to the eye, but small portions and very simple which made it easier to eat and made such a big difference.

“After that, I started eating again. That first day, I ate three meals and that’s the first time I’d eaten anything like that for weeks. Before I was eating because I knew I needed to keep my body alive, but now I am enjoying food again.

“I can’t even describe what Matthew has meant to me. So gentle, and a very good listener. They say we have two ears and one mouth for a reason. He looks at you and takes everything in and I think that’s so lovely.

“When I left hospital, they said I had two to three weeks worst case scenario. After I’d been at Kirkwood, my family couldn’t believe how well I was doing, and I put that down to Matthew, and the whole medical team here. I’ve got stronger every day and for that, I can’t thank them enough.”