Generous donation left in memory of patient

A patient’s legacy will continue to touch the lives of patients, staff and volunteers after a generous donation of £4,000 was left in her memory to The Medway Hospital Charity.

Lisa Scott sadly died last year aged 42, following a diagnosis of breast cancer. She was a vibrant, kind-hearted person with a learning disability, who often found the hospital environment overwhelming but overcame challenges with a smile.

With the support of the hospital’s Learning Disability Team and calming presence of therapy dogs, Lisa found the strength to navigate her journey with resilience and moments of joy.

Learning Disability Nurses first met Lisa at her Breast Clinic appointment following a GP referral. It was quickly established that Lisa had a love of the dogs – including Lily, Fred and Jarvis – who supported her to theatre and appointments on many occasions.

In the last few days of Lisa’s life, she was brought to hospital and admitted to Lawrence Ward, where she died peacefully surrounded by loved ones. Lisa received several visits from the dogs during this time, which provided comfort to everyone.

A message shared by Lisa’s family said: “Lisa’s diagnosis was especially sad to receive at such a young age and nothing prepared us. Because of Lisa’s learning disability, it meant she had little understanding of her journey ahead and later prognosis. In some strange way we felt this was a blessing, as it meant we could take on that worry for her.

“Lisa showed bravery and courage throughout her journey, which was hugely helped by the therapy dogs and staff who took care of her, from the Learning Disability Team to the anaesthetists. The support Lisa received was very much personalised to her needs and became invaluable to her wellbeing and coping mechanism.

“It was a pleasure to see how much of an impact the therapy dogs made on us all, and of course in particular Lisa who was always full of smiles to see them.

“We cannot thank everyone enough for making such a sad and difficult journey a lot less difficult.’’

This story is one of several to be featured in the new edition of the Trust’s News@Medway magazine. This can be read online now, with hard copies available soon from Medway Maritime Hospital.