March 21 Friday

David poses with Cherry Blossoms

Wow, 11,700 steps today! Converted, we walked 5.38 miles! I believe that is a record for the two of us on this sojourn (although we have nearly reached the five mile marker everyday since arriving in London). On the way to the Swiss Cottage Underground Station to take the Tube to our destination, we passed beneath some beautiful cherry blossom trees; I doubt if the pictures capture their charm, but they reminded us of our visit to Japan and Korea in 2007 (to visit Christina).

     One reason for the record day of walking is the distance we had to cover from the Penge East National Railway Station to St. Christopher’s Hospice. It was a breeze to Penge via the Tube and the National railway (transferring at Victoria Station), but the walk to the hospice was about a twenty-minute slightly uphill climb. However, it was decidedly worth every minute, every step.

St Christopher's Hospice Founded in 1967

Quilts made by community in Anniversary Centre

Arriving early for our appointment with Andrea DeChamps, the Director of Social Services, we enjoyed rest, coffee, and tea in a delightfully cheerful and large café with comfortable chairs, tables, and a view into a garden that draws your attention. A number of in- and out- patients were gathering for a social time together in several of the café areas; we turned our camera on the table in their direction to capture a bit of the interaction. Not too long into our stay, I began to get this eerie feeling that “I belong here.” It is hard to explain and I had difficulty sharing the feeling with Debbie. I suppose I felt some sort of kindred spirit with the dying people; I was one of them. Not unlike the feeling I get around other cancer patients, there is an immediate understanding, a connection, a sense of chemistry that requires no words. Debbie seemed to get it; for me it lasted throughout our visit.

David drinks coffee in the cafe

Debbie poses so David can photograph the group behind

     Andrea was fantastic. She answered all our questions and provided tons of information that we could not have acquired via a website or in the literature. Although established in July 1967 Cicely Saunders (please excuse an earlier misspelling of her name), the founder, asked a patient prior to its construction what it should be called. The patient responded, “Hospice, a stopping place for travellers. Well, you will have to call it St. Christopher’s won’t you?” The rest is history.

     

There are 48 beds in the in-patient unit, and over the course of one year, St. Christopher’s averages 830 people; about 25% are able to return home after their pain and symptoms are controlled. The nurse/patient ratio is 1.67 nurses per patient. The average length of stay is 14-16 days. Started in 1969, a home-care program now cares for about 750 people at any one time. Their average length of stay is about 19 weeks, and half die at home.About 80% of the patients have cancer; the remaining 20% have conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, dementia, or motor neuron disease like Parkinson’s. There are about 300 paid staff (222 of whom are clinical), and over 1,000 volunteers. The budget exceeds 17 million pounds (more than $25 million) annually – approximately 1/3 from government funding, 1/3 from legacies, and 1/3 from donations and fundraising.

Photos of hospice patients in reception area

Debbie poses with Dame Cicely

      Debbie and Andrea enjoyed an engaging conversation and explored the possibilities (initiated by Andrea) of collaborative research projects with the University of Missouri and Debbie’s team. Debbie will follow-up for sure; in fact, she has already started some planning toward that objective. We took a number of pictures and regret that we missed     photographing the beautiful and well-maintained gardens. In a quite suburban neighborhood, with many, many windows, I can see that it would indeed be a fine setting in which to die.

On our back to the railway station we found a quaint neighborhood café; the food was nourishing and a full house of diverse and interesting souls with which to dine. When we finally reached our hotel I crashed on the bed, hooked up my VPAP oxygen supply and went fast asleep; Debbie again worked on her various projects, completing a paper and proudly announcing when I woke up that another had been accepted for publication; geez, what a woman, what a researcher, what a caregiver, what a spouse, friend, and companion! I love her very much.

Penge outside of St Christopher's

Just after dusk we re-entered the world of London by taking the #31 bus to Camden Town. We had been told to expect a young, Bohemian type crowd, especially on a Friday night, and wow, we discovered our mentoring to be an understatement. Hundreds of young men and women (average age ranging between 18 and 28 years) roamed the streets. Colored hair, ornaments, tattoos, and dress set them apart from this pair of Americans. It was most definitely a sociological experience and I was fascinated, Debbie wanted out. If it were not for a “fish and chips” type restaurant, we might have left prematurely. Instead we enjoyed one of our best meals to-date.

Returning to our hotel we got caught up on all the NCAA Basketball Tournament games via the Internet (there is no television coverage here). So far, my pick of Tennessee moving on to the 3^rd round was good, but Duke losing to Mercer was not. While there were a few other mild surprises, I was disappointed that New Mexico lost to Stanford; I had them going further. Well, I guess that is why they call it March “Madness.”