IT IS a state-of-the-art hospice which offers those terminally ill with cancer care in their final days as well as offering support services for people living with the disease.
Based in the grounds of Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park, the daily running costs at the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice are £16,000.
For terminally ill patient Graham Molloy, he was stunned by the figure and even before he was sadly requiring their services, he decided to fundraise for the hospice and has now smashed his target with the total now sitting at more than £10,000.
Mr Molloy, 56, from the Southside of Glasgow originally set a target of raising £7,500 after learning how much it costs to run the hospice each day.
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And he also recently received personal service when a city restaurant delivered a special dish for pasta-loving Mr Molloy.
He was diagnosed with throat cancer about five years ago which then developed into skin cancer. He received treatment at the time but about two years later he developed a sore back and was referred for a chest x-ray which led to having a CT scan done.
Mr Molloy was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2019 and underwent surgery at NHS Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank and received chemotherapy at the New Victoria Hospital. Last year, he was greatly affected by the pandemic due to his illness and was effectively a prisoner in his own home. He was reliant on his family of two sons, Barry, 35, and Kieran, 26, to do his shopping and pass it to him through his window. Sadly, the cancer has since spread to Mr Molloy’s liver and he was told that there were no further treatments available for him.
Official opening of the new Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice at Bellahouston Park in 2018.
“I was being treated at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital a few months back when a doctor came to talk to me,” said Mr Molly. “Alistair told me about The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice and all the care they could offer me. I decided to investigate and was astounded to learn it costs about £16,000 each day to run their services. Even before I left hospital for the hospice, I decided I wanted to do something to help so I started a Gofundme. I set my target at £7,500 and over the past month it has raised more than £10,000. I have been so touched by everyone’s generosity.”
When speaking about his illness, the father-of-two is matter of fact. He says he has lived a good life and has spent a lot of his life travelling as a long-distance lorry driver. His favourite country to visit is Italy and he is quite a pasta connoisseur. His love of pasta led to his son, Kieran contacting Sugo in Glasgow. He had been eager to visit Glasgow Italian restaurant but never got the chance due to the pandemic. Kieran contacted the restaurant who were only too happy to oblige and organised their chefs to make their speciality pasta which was brought to the hospice and heated in the hospice kitchens. Mr Molloy has since declared the spinach and ricotta ravioli the best pasta he has ever had.
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Since being in the hospice over the past few weeks, he has been overwhelmed by the kindness and dedication of the staff at the hospice which moved to its current site in 2018 after a £21million fundraising campaign backed by our sister paper the Glasgow Times.
Mr Molloy said: “Not only is the hospice just such a lovely peaceful and friendly place, the staff are just amazing. Night and day they are there looking after us all, nothing is ever too much trouble. And the biggest difference for me has been that my 10-month-old puppy Rottweiler, Saoirse has been allowed to visit me. I have missed her so much and now when she visits, the other patients look forward to seeing her too. It’s just these little things that make the hospice such as special place.
“My son has been bringing in bird feed and has filled up all the feeders outside. It’s so nice to sit with my bedroom door open onto the patio and watch the birds.
“I couldn’t be in a better place and it’s so important to me that the fundraiser is as successful as it can be to help patients in the future benefit from such an amazing place.”
The original location of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice on Carlton Place.
Rhona Baillie, Chief Executive of The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, said: “We are so very grateful to him and everyone who has donated to his fundraiser. While our care and services are free to everyone who needs them, as a charity we do rely on the public’s generosity to keep the hospice running.
“Graham is doing an amazing thing at a very difficult time in his life and I know his efforts will greatly benefit our patients in the future. The hospice is a special place and I am so glad that Graham is comfortable and happy here. Our staff do all they can to make each patient feel at home here and we will continue to do this into the future.”
To donate go to Gofundme me at https://uk.gofundme.com/f/grahams-big-gift
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