Daughter's tribute to 'wonderful staff' who cared for mum during final days

The daughter of a retired public health nurse who died of cancer more than a decade after being given the all-clear has paid tribute to the "good and compassionate" staff at Derry end-of-life charity Foyle Hospice.

Jacqueline Doherty paid tribute to the "wonderful staff" who cared for her mum, Florence Donaghey, before she passed away two years ago.

She said staff looked after both her and her mum during Florence's final days, as she prepares to take on the annual Foyle Hospice Female Walk/Run in Derry.

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"My mum was a retired public health nurse in Buncrana and she got her first diagnosis of cancer in 2007. She received the all clear and unfortunately it came back ten years later," Jacqueline said.

Florence received Radium treatment at Belfast City Hospital and went on to receive palliative care with Foyle Hospice before her death in 2022.

"She was very stubborn and didn’t want any help but she knew when the time was right and she went into Foyle Hospice for 19 days. I am deaf so I had to lip read the staff - as it was just at the end of coronavirus, the staff kindly removed their masks for me to understand."

On May 24, 2022, at the age of 86, Florence passed away peacefully at Foyle Hospice.

“Her heart was so strong for her age," Jacqueline said.

"As mum was very religious, the staff said prayers with her which was lovely and one nurse even placed a Saint Teresa relic on her before she died as this was her favourite saint.

"The staff were so good to me and allowed my aunt and uncle to stay with her in her final days. I was lucky that mum’s home was down the road where I could grab some sleep. Even when I walked around the grounds, they were asking how I was as mum was unconscious for the last five days. They were so good and compassionate."

This year's Foyle Hospice Female Walk/Run will be Jacqueline's third time taking part.

"I do the walk for my mum and the wonderful staff in the Hospice who looked after her, and myself," she said.

Jacqueline will be amongst thousands of other ladies walking or running in memory of a loved when the Female Walk/Run begins at 11.30am on June 9. The event starts from the Catalyst Building, Bay Road, and finishing at St Columb’s Park.

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