Family of first patient pay tribute to hospice

THE FAMILY of the first patient to be cared for at a Yorkshire hospice have told of the “amazing” care he received as the facility celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

Father of three Terry Bligh, who was suffering from terminal cancer, was the first patient to be admitted to St Gemma’s Hospice in Moortown, Leeds, on the day it opened as a nine-bed unit on April 12, 1978.

Mr Bligh’s family said he had endured a seven-month stay on an orthopaedic ward at Leeds General Infirmary at a time when general hospitals did not provide adequate pain relief for terminally ill patients.

His daughter, Helen Baldwin, of Adel, Leeds, who is now a nurse at St James’s Hospital in Leeds, said: “He was in excruciating and uncontrolled pain in hospital. On the day he was admitted to St Gemma’s he was extremely unwell with a life expectancy of just a few weeks, but he lived for 14 months. They looked after and cared for him so well at St Gemma’s that he changed his outlook.”

She added: “He was so grateful because they made his last months as comfortable as possible.”

Mr Bligh, who ran Bligh Sound and Vision in Wakefield, died at St Gemma’s aged 51 on June 3, 1979. Hospice staff are inviting people to attend A Night to Remember at Leeds Town Hall on March 21, which will include performances and speeches about the unit.

Emily Clark, of St Gemma’s, said: “St Gemma’s Hospice has been at the heart of the Leeds community since it opened.”

Visit events.st-gemma.co.uk or call 0113 218 5550 for tickets.