‘I think of his bravery and try to be brave myself’
In the latest of our series of special Echo features to support this year’s City Hospice Light Up a Life campaign, we tell how the charity supported 27-year-old cancer patient Liam Fry through his final months, and helped his grieving parents through thei
IN 2016, Gary and Jane Fry sadly lost their son Liam to a brain tumour.
Liam Fry was just 27 and received care from City Hospice nurses who saw he was comfortable and pain free in his own home.
Describing her son, Jane said: “I know that every parent who goes through something like this will tell you their children are lovely, but he really, really was.
“He was so generous and a wonderful man. You would be hard pushed to find anyone who would say a bad word about him. He was just lovely; funny, he would give time to anyone.
“He wanted to please other people more than himself. We were very proud of him.”
In 2014, after suffering from extremely bad headaches, followed by a trip to A&E and emergency brain surgery, a referral to Cardiff’s Velindre Cancer Centre saw Liam diagnosed with a tumour on his brainstem.
Liam was initially told that he had about 10 years to live and that, although his tumour was inoperable, they would try chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
After falling ill again and needing more surgery, Liam was started on a course of radiotherapy every day for six weeks.
So that Liam could start to fulfil his bucket list, Liam’s uncle Mark started a campaign to raise funds.
Incredibly, a team of three friends of Uncle Mark, unknown to the family, cycled from Edinburgh to Cardiff over three days to raise £6,000.
The money allowed Liam to enjoy holidays with his partner Warren, his sister Alys, as well as a family holiday to his favourite Portugal.
During the 2015 Christmas period, Liam felt worse and a scan in January 2016 confirmed the tumour was growing.
Liam was started on a course of chemotherapy which scans later showed was not reducing the size of the tumour, and treatment was stopped.
Jane said: “On June 24, we were told he had six months to live. Two days later we went to Disneyland Paris because he really wanted to go.
“We said ‘whatever you want to do, we’ve got to do now’. So we did Chester Zoo because he was watching ‘Secret Life of the Zoo’ on TV, which he loved, and Monkey World.
“Then everything changed. He progressively got worse and had to sleep downstairs.”
Two years after his diagnosis, Liam was referred to City Hospice and met nurses Lynette Williams and Kath O’Connell, who Jane described as “guardian angels” and provided Liam with care at home.
“Kath became the person who put all the puzzle pieces together, she was always very honest and we appreciated that.”
Kath took on the role of liaising with doctors and occupational therapists as well as organising medication and pain clinics whilst keeping the family informed. Kath also helped the family with an End of Life Plan and a Living Will.
Liam received care from professionals, alongside Kath and Lynette.
City Hospice’s head of counselling and bereavement, Sarah Bull, started visiting Jane at home whilst Liam was having treatments and got to know him and his family before he died.
Speaking about Liam’s passing, Jane said: “City Hospice were phenomenal. I know the whole thing is sad, but we were lucky. We were lucky because we knew it was happening. We were able to say goodbye.
“In the end, we knew things were getting worse and stayed up overnight to look after him.
“Lynette was there when it happened which I’m also really grateful for.
“If it could’ve been lovely, it was. It was tremendously peaceful for him.”
After he passed away, Jane visited Sarah to talk about Liam.
Jane said: “I looked forward to having dedicated time to talk about Liam.
“He was so lovely and that’s why I like talking about him.
“I can look back and see that what was painful four years ago, is now a comfort.
“Talking about Liam almost keeps his spirit alive which is really nice.
“People do tell you it’ll get easier to be without someone, but it doesn’t.
“I think of his bravery and try to be brave myself. He had a massive impact on our lives which is incredible.
“You become so grateful for what you had.
“My explanation to myself is that he was so special they needed him in heaven. Someone needed him more than we did.”
A donation made during the Light Up A Life campaign will make a world of difference to a family facing terminal illness in our community. To donate visit www.cityhospice.org.uk or call 029 2052 4150.