Lucy’s Blog - Friendships

For my fourth blog post, I want to share with you some of the special connections and friendships I've made.

You never have the same respite stay twice - you always end up doing different things, going to different places and, most importantly, meeting different people! Over the years, I've lost count at the number of wonderful, beautiful people I've met, whether they be staff, children/young people, their relatives, volunteers or visitors, the list could go on and they all make a children's hospice special in their own unique ways. And it's because of this that you find yourself making some pretty amazing friends!

I've built some incredible friendships over the years at Naomi House & Jacksplace and Demelza Hospices, most of whom I only get to see when at respite but all of whom I continue to cherish, even when vast amounts of time passes between us. It's a shame I don't have more photos with more of them.

But with love also comes loss. Whilst I've made many unbreakable friendships, I've also had my share of losses. With children's hospices unfortunately also comes life-threatening conditions, and sometimes we find ourselves unexpectedly running out of time with the ones we care about. Whilst this is a heartbreaking experience to go through, I would never exchange the heartache and risk never knowing the friendships I've made or the love that I've felt.