Lake swim is ‘dream come true’ for hospice patient

Hospice staff ensured a patient’s dream came true last week after organising a special day out at her ‘treasured’ lake.

When regular swimmer Danni Mason, 45, from Sydenham, first suggested going for a swim in her favourite lake after being admitted to St Christopher’s inpatient unit last month, she was not sure it would be possible.

But, after a dedicated effort from staff, Mrs Mason and her husband Andy Ratcliffe, 44, were able to take a dip in Beckenham Place Park Lake last week.

Mrs Mason said: “There aren’t enough superlatives to describe how amazing it was.”

The lake was specially opened for the couple, who are regular swimmers at Beckenham.

Mr Ratcliffe said: “It’s a treasured place for us.

“We have so many memories from there, Christmas and New Year Day swims, five-minute dips in February. It was such a profound experience, it was pure joy.”

The couple were joined in the water by Katie Grace, clinical team lead and Helena Talbot-Rice, rehabilitation and wellbeing consultant lead, while specialised physiotherapist Simone Clark and ward manager Emily Alcock were on the sidelines in case they needed any support.

Mr Ratcliffe said: “Water is Danni’s happy place.

“Water and nature, just floating and so the team here were absolutely incredible. 

“Until it happened, I don’t think we had any expectation that it would actually be possible.”

To thank the St Christopher’s staff for their efforts, Mrs Mason and Mr Ratcliffe had a cake custom-made.

Mrs Mason, who is terminally ill but asked not to mention her condition, started her care at St Christopher’s in August.

Her ambition to swim in the lake came in response to a question the charity asks all of its patients, ‘what matters to you?’.

She said she was also keen to be pain and sickness free and in a calm environment.

Mr Ratcliffe said: “It’s so different to a hospital.

“It’s such a calm place. After the swim, Danni had a shower and then was given a massage, it was like a spa day!

“The team is taking care of me too, I’ve had a massage too.”

Before Tuesday’s swim, Mr Ratcliffe had been taking his wife down to the garden in the hospice and putting her feet in the stream to get her as close to water and nature as possible

Prior to admission, Mrs Mason was under the care of the St Christopher’s community nursing team.

Mr Ratcliffe said: “Having someone to ring made such a difference, because before that, you’d be told to go to A&E. 

“After St Christopher’s came in, our nurse would come out or a doctor would come to see us. So you get the treatment and reassurance or advice.”

St Christopher’s provides care free of charge. Partially funded by the NHS, the charity receives the majority of its running costs from public donations. 

Rehabilitation and wellbeing consultant lead, Helena Talbot-Rice said: “We were so delighted to be able to support Danni and Andy to do what mattered most to them.

“We couldn’t have done it without the amazing team at Beckenham Place Park Lake who opened up especially for us, and allowed us to drive the ambulance up to the Lake, and were on hand to support us throughout.”

St Christopher’s cares for around 1,800 people at any one time. Last year the service supported more than 5,000 patients, 1,358 carers and 445 children, both at home, out in the community and in the hospice.

Pictured top: Andy Ratcliffe and Danni Mason are both keen swimmers at Beckenham (Picture: Andy Ratcliffe)