Bristol Woman Supports New St Peter’s Hospice Campaign ’44 Days’ In Memory Of Husband
When Bristol resident Tacey Bain’s husband David received a sudden cancer diagnosis, the final two weeks of his life were spent in the compassionate hands of specialist staff at St Peter’s Hospice — a experience that left a lasting impression on their whole family.
Now Tacey is sharing their story in support of the Hospice’s poignant new ’44 Days’ fundraising campaign, which draws attention to the average time a patient spends under the charity’s care, and poses a question that will resonate deeply with everyone working in end-of-life care: what would you do with 44 days left?
For those on the frontline of caring for people in their final chapter, it is a reminder of just how profoundly specialist palliative support — and the people who deliver it — can shape a family’s most precious and painful memories.
“David was a lovely man,” she said. “He was a very good family man – he regarded his greatest achievement as our three children and was enormously proud of them. He worked as a family law solicitor, supporting people during some of the hardest moments in their lives, which made him appreciate all the things that were good in life.
“He loved sport. At the age of 71 he was still playing hockey at Masters’ level. His team won the European Spirit of Masters Gold Cup in Valencia a year before he died.”
Cycling was another of David’s great passions. He completed Land’s End to John O’Groats with a friend and regularly took part in charity rides, including the St Peter’s Hospice Tour de Bristol.
In 2024 the couple walked the Camino de Santiago, but towards the end of the trip David began suffering from stomach pain. At first, they assumed it was caused by something he had eaten but by the time they returned home, the pain had worsened significantly. After several hospital visits and scans, the couple received devastating news.
“Just one month after coming home David was diagnosed with cancer and we were told there were no treatment options available,” said Tacey.
When David’s pain became too difficult to manage at home, he was referred to St Peter’s Hospice directly from hospital.
“The diagnosis was entirely unforeseen and a big shock to us all, especially as David kept so fit and healthy,” she said. “It was a very overwhelming time but being at the Hospice felt completely different.
“When David arrived he was extremely uncomfortable and unable even to use his phone. But the Hospice let him relax and managed his pain,” Tacey explained. “Everything ran so smoothly once we were there. They know what they’re doing and they’re good at it. There was no moving between beds and wards, we could really settle.
“We found great comfort in the calm environment and the time it gave us together. The room was hotel standard and the food was brilliant. Even though it was hard for David to eat we felt nourished by the generosity. The whole set up made things we might usually take for granted, like being together and holding hands, far easier.”
David spent his final days at St Peter’s Hospice, just 100 metres from his childhood home, and died peacefully on 6 June 2024, less than two months after returning from holiday.
This sense of giving quality time to patients at their end-of-life, is central to the new 44 Days campaign the Hospice is running to raise vital funds.
Their aim is to fill those precious days with love and light, taking on the paperwork, the medication and the practical aspects of care, so that families can simply enjoy being together.
The 44 Days campaign also holds a special significance for Tacey and her family.
She said: “Forty-four was David’s lucky number. It was the number on his school locker, he used it when he raced Clubman’s cars in his 40s and it was in his email address.
“We feel so lucky that he was referred to the Hospice and would encourage everyone to donate to this amazing campaign. Even now the Hospice are supporting me through bereavement support, it is such a vital community resource.”
