JILL Poulton knows that the best Christmas gift anybody could give would be a donation to our Festival of Light 2021.
Jill’s mum Sheila Wright was a patient on our In Patient Centre at Christmas 2017 and for the Jill and the rest of the family, the level of support they received helped them all through a very difficult time.
Sheila was suffering from both Alzheimer’s Disease and the final stages of cancer when she was transferred to our care just days after the death of Kenneth, her husband of almost 60 years.
“Immediately we knew that mum was in the best place and we let out a sigh of relief because we knew she was going to get the best care she could possibly have,” says Jill.
Sheila died at St Luke’s on Christmas Day 2017 and Jill says: “I honestly cannot thank St Luke’s enough for all the support and help we received - the care mum received was second to none.
“There were just eight days between my dad dying and then losing my mum and being at St Luke’s made a horrible time that much better.
“It meant that we could be confident that the treatment our mum was getting was absolutely fantastic and that made it all so much easier for us.
“The people who work at St Luke’s are absolutely selfless and we can look back and know with complete certainly that my mum had the best care ever and that took a burden off our shoulders because we knew this was where she needed to be.”
That’s why Jill is now encouraging other people to join her in supporting our Festival of Light 2021, the annual celebration that sees thousands of lights illuminate our Little Common Lane garden, all dedicated in memory of loved ones.
Last year’s switch on had to be cancelled as the country went into winter lockdown, though supporters did have the opportunity to at least enjoy the moment with a special online ceremony.
We are confident, however, that this year’s event will be able to go ahead on the evening of Sunday December 5, hosted by BBC Radio Sheffield presenter and keen St Luke’s supporter Paulette Edwards.
“St Luke’s made our whole experience as good as it possibly could be,” says Jill.
“That’s why everybody needs to support the Festival of Light because some time in the future it might be your family that needs the support we received.”
To find out more about the 2021 Festival of Light 2021 and how to support the event by making a donation simply visit Festival of Light