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 Debra
was a mere 46 years old when she was taken from us by
cancer. From the date of her original diagnosis, Debra
only had 10 short weeks before her passing on 10th November
2005.
During this short time she received care at Michael
Sobell House (MSH). The compassion and professionalism
shown to both her and us as her family by all the staff
at the centre made those last weeks more bearable. Whether
it was a doctor, nurse or care assistant, the time and
effort they all afforded to Debra helped her maintain
her dignity at all times. They never pushed or rushed
her into doing anything that she wasn’t ready
for. They always asked her – are you ready for
your blood to be taken?, could we take your temperature?
In fact in the short time that we all spent as MSH,
we came to view the staff not just as caring professionals
but also as friends.
I was married to Debra for 17 wonderful years and will
always have our two children Jordan (15) and Brooke
(13) to remind me of our happier, healthier times. My
children have been so strong through what must have
been a tremendously stressful time and they have been
helped by the understanding shown to them both by the
MSH staff.
When Debra died and I was arranging the funeral, I
was left to wonder how I could help this wonderful facility
to raise funds to maintain their 24 hour care for other
families who may be in need of their expertise and support.
 Whilst
Debra was being cared for at MSH I would often visit
the nurses station and had noticed a large cheque on
the wall. I wondered no more. As a family, we decided
that a fitting tribute to a wonderful wife and mother
would be to help MSH continue its much needed work.
We asked our friends and family to donate money to
two charities, The Friends of Michael Sobell House and
Cancer Research UK, instead of sending floral tributes.
As you can see from the £1,500 cheque, their response
was fantastic and a measure of how much Debra was loved.
As a family, we hope this donation will help MSH to
continue with its much needed work to help others in
the same position as ourselves and we feel proud that
Debra’s passing will be remembered in such a positive
way.
Mr Doug Fisher
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