Andrew came to St Michael's hospice on 4 March 2013 for some pain management having spent a month in the adjacent hospital waiting for and recovering from radiotherapy. Andrew and I immediately noticed the difference between the hospice and the hospital environments. Andrew had a private room and private facilities. Indeed, all of the inpatient rooms in the hospice had received a make over shortly before we arrived. The staff were really attentive: whenever Andrew pressed his call bell a cheery member of staff or volunteer would come within a minute. Our experience of the hospital was that it could take up to 10 minutes for someone to respond. A lot can happen in 10 minutes. On one occasion Andrew had cried out in pain because nobody had come quickly enough. We developed familiarity with the hospice doctors. At the hospital we would see an endless stream of different doctors each of whom required Andrew to expend energy relaying his painful 'story' to them. If we were lucky we might see some of the same doctors again. The day after Andrew's death one of the hospice doctors said that it felt strange not seeing Andrew in his room. I got the feeling that Andrew had made a mark and she was going to miss him. We were amazed at the number of volunteers at the hospice. Good people giving up their time to help others. Both Andrew and I enjoyed a range of complementary therapies from some of the volunteers: reflexology, Indian head massage, hand massage, foot massage, Reiki healing, bach flower remedies, aromatherapy, relaxation. One volunteer told me that helping families at the hospice was far more rewarding than having a customer that paid. He too had lost someone to cancer - his 2 year old daughter. Hospice visiting times were 24/7 making life easier for family and friends alike. On a couple of occasions I even stayed the night. There was a playroom for the children which kept Raymond occupied for hours. Raymond also loved watching the fish in the pond outside and running across the labyrinth. Every day he asks when he is going to go to the hospice again to see his Daddy and the fish. As painful as it was to watch Andrew's cancer progress, I got used to the routine of going into the hospice to visit him. I will miss the place, the staff and the volunteers. No doubt they will miss us. Especially little Raymond and his cousin Marcello who would run gleafully through the hospice corridors brightening everyone's days. At the hospice I will pick up the pieces of my shattered life as I make use of its bereavement service. Please help others benefit as Andrew and I have benefited from St Michael's Hospice. No donation is too small. Wendy Gregory