Patients being treated on Royal Preston Hospital’s in-patient Ribblesdale Ward now have a new tranquil, private space they can use, created in memory of much-loved Leyland cancer nurse specialist Sandra Curtis, who nursed on the ward.
Sandra passed away of cancer three years ago but in April, on what would have been her 60th birthday, her widower Andrew, daughter Charlotte, sister-in-law Janet Curtis, nieces Naomi and Hannah Curtis and her sister-in-law Margaret Hartley raised almost £3,000 by organising a family fun day for 160 guests, including a large contingent of Sandra’s former colleagues, at Charnock Farm, Leyland.
They donated the funds to Rosemere Cancer Foundation, which spent them on converting what was previously a run-down office into the new space, which has now been officially re-opened as a quiet room.
Dan Hill, our head of charities, said: “What was a bit of a dilapidated hot desking room is now a really relaxing and calming quiet room.
“The Ribs team wanted to create this space for patients to enjoy as a legacy for Sandra in line with what her family wanted. They also felt the ward could benefit from a private room where patients, who may have had some bad news, or relatives, who may have lost someone, could just take some time to be.”
Ward staff chose the room’s colours, wall art and new furniture. Andrew Curtis, who with Charlotte and other family members were invited to see the finished room, said: “We are thrilled. We think the room is spot on. I know Sandra would be very proud of what we – her family and friends, Ribblesdale Ward colleagues and Rosemere Cancer Foundation – have created.
“Nursing was Sandra’s vocation and her calling was cancer nursing. Even when Sandra was ill herself with cancer and her full-time role became too much, she worked part-time at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital on the chemotherapy unit.”
Andrew, a former supermarket manager, added: “The eulogies Sandra received from her colleagues and former patients have been a great comfort to myself and Charlotte, who has followed in her mum’s footsteps and is a radiography assistant at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital. In both Charlotte and this new space, Sandra lives on.”
Thank you so much to all involved – the room will make a real difference for patients on the ward.