29 Jul 2026 Patient and Family Stories

“We felt loved by them” Carolyn shares why The Kirkwood gave Peter the best possible final days

When Carolyn Westerby's husband, Peter, was first diagnosed with prostate cancer, the family faced the challenge with determination and hope. His treatment was successful, his outlook improved, and together they looked forward to enjoying more precious time together.

However, life took an unexpected turn when a second, unrelated cancer diagnosis changed everything. As Peter's health declined, Carolyn and her family found themselves needing support they never imagined they would need. It was The Kirkwood that provided that support to Peter in his final days, care Carolyn says every family deserves to experience.
 
Peter was first diagnosed with prostate cancer, which had spread to his bones. Despite the seriousness of his illness, he responded remarkably well to treatment throughout 2022 and 2023.
 
Carolyn said of Peter’s diagnosis: "He sailed through all the radio and chemotherapy he had through 2022 and 2023. He ended up having six monthly hormone injections, all of which did a wonderful job and in mid-2025, his PSA was down to 0.4, which was an amazing result."
 
Although Peter was also living with mobility issues due to a knee replacement, the family were optimistic of things going forward. Then, in January 2024, everything changed. Caroyln explained: "He presented as anaemic to the doctors and through testing they found oesophageal cancer, which was totally unrelated to the previous one that was discovered. From then on, it was downhill, eating and swallowing became increasingly difficult and actually unpleasant. He gradually faded and started having confusion and one or two falls. I discouraged him from driving because of this, something he found very hard."
 
Despite everything he was facing, Peter remained focused on the things he loved most: "His passion for cricket and love of the family kept him going through the summer of 2025. We all felt that it was going to be difficult keeping him going at the end of the season."
 
As his condition worsened, Peter spent time in hospital before returning home, where the family received invaluable support from Kirklees' Enablement Team. Soon afterwards, a hospital bed was installed in their living room and, from early November, someone needed to stay with Peter throughout every night. Peter became increasingly confused, leading Carolyn to call for an ambulance, believing he may have developed an infection.

 The family will never forget what happened next: "The rapid response team were wonderful. They checked him out and didn't think it was infection. The lead paramedic said they would take him to hospital, but had we thought about contacting the hospice? They gave us space and time to discuss it, and we came to approach The Kirkwood.”
 
The following day Carolyn contacted The Kirkwood. Dr Tash visited Peter at home, assessed him and recommended admission to the In-Patient Unit.
 
Just one day later, Peter arrived on The Kirkwood’s In-Patient Unit: “Peter had the enormous, good fortune of being admitted to The Kirkwood. He expressed his happiness to be going there and indeed was very content when not confused."

 From the moment Carolyn and her son walked through the hospice doors, they knew they had found somewhere special: "As soon as we walked in, the atmosphere was serene, happy, warm and welcoming."
 
The feeling was so overwhelming that Carolyn immediately found herself thinking about giving something back: "After being shown around the hospice, I said to my son, 'I want to volunteer here when all this is over.' It was such a lovely atmosphere."
 
Peter was cared for by an exceptional team, including nurse Tim, who became a familiar and reassuring presence throughout his stay: "Tim was the nurse who looked after Peter mainly. We were amazed by the cleverly designed room with the hidden overnight provision for visitors. We liked the easy access garden, every time any of the family visited, we felt to be no trouble and totally comfortable."
 
The family appreciated every detail of the care they received, from the welcoming environment to the activities that brought moments of joy: "The occasional activities, like the folk singer, were much enjoyed. The food was lovely, especially for Peter with his eating problems. It was delicious and looked appetising. I would really love the chef to publish a book of the soup recipes, I'd pay good money for that!"
 
Peter spent just ten days on The Kirkwood’s In-Patient Unit before peacefully dying on 23rd November 2025, only a month before what would have been his 81st birthday and the couple's 55th wedding anniversary on Boxing Day.
 
Earlier that same day, Carolyn and her sons had been looking around nursing homes as they prepared for Peter's next stage of care.
 
Looking back, Carolyn says the experience completely changed her understanding of hospice care. She said: "Our experience of The Kirkwood was totally positive, I think that until you have experienced the huge difference hospice care makes to the patient and the whole family, you don't realise how very important it is. The staff stressed how they needed to be outside the NHS to give the amount of care they do and would never want to compromise that, rightly so."
 
For Carolyn, the care her family received is beyond measure: "I can’t say often enough how fortunate we were to be supported and sustained. Peter was so carefully and lovingly looked after in such a matter-of-fact way. Everyone should have the right to have that level of care. It is invaluable."
 
Wanting to give something back, Carolyn now supports The Kirkwood through regular monthly donations, contributes whenever collections are held at funerals or community events. She also plans to donate Peter's clothing to The Kirkwood shops and hopes one day to train as a volunteer bereavement counsellor.
 
Her gratitude towards everyone who cared for Peter remains as strong today as it was during those final days:  "We have nothing but praise for the staff, we felt loved by them and in turn, we think of them all with deep love. Peter had only ten days at The Kirkwood, but under his circumstances, they were the best possible ones he could have had."
 
If Carolyn’s story has touched you, you can also make a regular donation by clicking HERE and help us to support patients and families like Carolyn’s.