Patient's family praises team for setting up live stream to allow them to attend daughter's wedding in Thailand
The family of a patient who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and deemed too unwell to travel to Thailand for her daughter's wedding has thanked colleagues at Royal Derby Hospital after they set up a live stream to allow them to be a part of the celebrations.
Alison Lafferty was unexpectedly diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year and was subsequently admitted as an inpatient as her condition worsened. Because of this, she was advised by clinicians that she should not make the near 6,000-mile round trip to take part in the celebrations.
It was at this point that colleagues stepped in and were able to set up an intimate room and live stream, allowing both Alison and her husband, Trevor, to be able to be a part of their daughter's special day.
Trevor said the news the couple could not go to the wedding was difficult, but the help they then received from the team in the Macmillan Information Centre, spearheaded by Lead Nurse, M-J Gray, helped to create special memories.
He explained: "We had everything planned to go to Thailand to celebrate with our daughter, Daisy, and her new husband, Luke, but Alison's diagnosis was so sudden - everything changed.
"I spoke to M-J in the Information Centre and asked if there was anywhere we could set up an audio-visual link so we could 'attend' virtually, and they did such a wonderful job at setting something up for us."
From here, M-J, along with her colleague, Rebecca Mangham, Macmillan Information Centre Assistant, found a room, set up the audio-visual link, and decorated it with bunting, balloons, confetti and more to create an intimate environment for Trevor and Alison to be a part of their daughter's celebrations.
M-J added: "We did everything we could to make it as special as we could for the couple, in a welcoming and calming environment.
"Lots of the things we were able to get from home, but we quickly went out to some shops and were even able to get a cake and some non-alcoholic prosecco to really make it feel like a celebration."
Thanks to their compassionate actions, Trevor and Alison were able to sit and take part in the day and wave to guests - with Trevor even being able to make his father-of-the-bride speech to guests on the other side of the world.
The team were also able to source a 'riser-recliner' chair - a special, heavily padded chair, as well as pain relief, to help Alison stay as comfortable as possible during the ceremony. This helped her and Trevor spend three hours being a part of the wedding and making precious memories.
Sadly, Alison has since passed away, adding extra meaning to the memories she, along with Trevor and the rest of her family, were able to make in her final weeks.
Trevor continued: "Given that we only had a limited amount of time left with Alison, everything the team did for us is now means even more.
"I'd particularly like to thank M-J for everything she has done for us. I can't say anything more than she has effectively become a member of our family such is the impact her care has had on us. I cannot say more than that."
While this was the first-time colleagues in the Information Centre have helped to live stream a wedding, M-J expressed her pride at being able to help Alison and Trevor during a challenging time.
She said: "Myself and the whole team were honoured to have shared their special day with them - it was a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in.
"We are delighted to have been able to have helped Alison and Trevor still be a part of their daughter's big day, even if it wasn't exactly how they had planned it to be."