By Leicester Mercury | Posted: 17 August, 2015
Angela Brook met Clive nearly 20 years ago and they got married in 2001. They had a son together, Robert, who is now 10.
Clive, 65, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which meant he struggled to breathe and in 2006, his health began deteriorating rapidly.
"I can remember us being told by the doctor he wasn't going to get better. We just sat there in silence and he wasn't able to look at me," said Angela, 33, of Belgrave.
"Some days it was really hard to cope."
In 2010, Clive came to LOROS.
To officially launch our 30 for 30 campaign, to celebrate our 30th birthday, we spoke to Angela and Robert Brook. Angela's husband and Robert's dad, Clive, was at #LOROS before he died in 2010 - here, we find out why they could 'never turn their back' on the Hospice.
"They were amazing," says Angela.
"They cater for everyone. They provided me with my own bedroom and so Robert could stay too, they even gave me a baby monitor. I remember, I would put Robert to bed, then go and sit with Clive, hold his hand and we would listen to Robert.
"I wanted Robert to be with his dad and LOROS allowed that to happen, that meant a lot."
Robert was just five at the time. He remembers the nurses used to play games with him while his mum sat with dad.
"The nurses would cheer me up when I was a bit down," he said. "I didn't like that dad was ill and I wanted to have some time out here, I was able to do that.
"I remember playing on the toy red car in the play area, which is still there today; one member of staff even made me my own registration plate for it.
"And we could come to LOROS as much as we wanted; it wasn't like a hospital where you have limited times to go.
"This place, it was like home when dad was ill."
Angela added: "We don't call them nurses here, they're the girls, they are family. They are all amazing. There's nothing more they could do.
"It was the little things that meant a lot to me. As a wife, I felt it was my job to give my husband a wash and a shave and the nurses never said I couldn't do it. They allowed me to and it didn't matter how long it took me; that meant so much."
On February 2, 2010, Clive, Angela and Robert spent their last day together.
"The day Clive died, he had a fantastic morning and a fantastic afternoon. It was a quiet day but there was something different about it. Clive was smiling, he seemed really happy and at ease, calm."
Angela had taken Robert home that evening. She was on her way back to the hospice when she received a phone call from the nurses asking her where she was.
"The nurse never let go of his hand until I got to LOROS and that night he died. He had been at the hospice just over three weeks. All the girls were there and they held my hand and made the call to my brother-in-law to say that he'd died. They didn't rush me at all, they gave us time.
"One of the nurses told me she would never forget him because since he'd come in, all he had done was talk about me and Robert.
"The nurses told me I would always be family here.
"I could never turn my back on LOROS, not ever."
