By Leicester Mercury | Posted: 11 September, 2015
For seven-year-old Isaac Wood-Nolan, the best thing about LOROS Hospice was seeing his granddad happy.
"He could eat and drink whatever he liked – he was even allowed beer," said Isaac, of Ratby.
"Granddad liked it at LOROS because they looked after him. He was happy at LOROS.
"The nurses made him feel better and he liked being looked after by them."
Isaac's Granddad, John, 62, who had lung cancer, was in the hospice in the summer of last year.
"I could visit whenever I wanted and Granddad was always so excited to see us," Isaac said.
"We stayed at LOROS a lot – it was like Granddad's home.
"I used to go outside with Granddad and we would watch the ducks in the pond.
"He used to think the pond was amazing. He really liked it. We used to bring him out in his wheelchair."
John was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, after having a fall.
His son, Isaac's dad Simon Wood-Nolan, said: "He had always had a bad back and then one day, he fell over.
"We were soon told he had lung cancer and it had spread to his spine."
From the day he was diagnosed, Simon, 33, said it was their target to ensure John's life was as pain-free as possible.
"We always knew we were giving him palliative care but we didn't want Dad to be in pain," said Simon.
"But it wasn't until he got to LOROS that he was pain-free and I think that's why they mean so much to us now.
"It was that extra mile of care he got at LOROS – that was the difference between Dad being pain-free and not pain-free."
At first, John did not want to go to LOROS but the care he received stopped him being stressed and annoyed.
"He was frustrated with himself. He knew the cancer was out of his control and he struggled with that but the staff at LOROS helped him come to terms with what was going on," said Simon.
"For the week Dad was at LOROS, he felt more like an adult than he ever had in the whole 13 months he had been ill and I could see that in him. Dad really didn't want to come to LOROS at first but after about 30 seconds from him getting out of the car and into the door, his attitude changed.
"He realised it was just a normal place and that shocked him.
"He loved his gardening. He took an instant liking to the place, which was nice and reassuring for me and mum.
"When he first got to LOROS, Dad came in and he said 'I like those chairs that recline' – so the nurses went out of their way to find a chair that he liked.
"Then they asked him if he would like a drink and he said 'I could do with a beer after all that'.
"When they asked him what beer he wanted, he thought they were joking but they weren't – that was almost the breaking point for him.
"He soon realised being at LOROS was like being at home.
"That night, he fancied shepherd's pie and they didn't have it, so the chef made it especially. He was overwhelmed.
"Not being a patient, almost like they've gone to a hotel.
"They get spoilt rotten at LOROS. As hard as it whenever I come back to LOROS, I just think of what they did for us and Dad.
"I know Isaac can come back here and say hi to the nurses and feel at home.
"For the week he was here, he felt more adult than he had in the whole 13 months he had had the illness. I could see it in him."
On Sunday, Simon will be running the Great North Run for LOROS in memory of his dad.
You can sponsor Simon on his JustGiving page.
If you would like to know more about the LOROS 30 for 30 campaign please visit the web page here
