In March, Midweek told the story of Helen Puaha, her terminal cancer diagnosis and how she had made the decision to have Hospice there to take some of the burden. Helen died on Anzac Day, sooner than expected but in the loving care of the staff at Hospice Whanganui, as she wanted.
For a young Maori woman to choose Hospice to take responsibility for her, rather than the traditional way of letting family look after her, was unusual, but her family accepted it, and, in time, appreciated her decision.
Hospice Whanganui supported Helen in her own home, letting the family be there as family, not full time caregivers.
Her friend, Kelly Scarrow, and her sister, Nadia Puaha, talk about Helen and how important Hospice care was to her, and tell the rest of her story.
Nadia believes Hospice did take some of the weight of responsibility from the family.
"Especially during the time leading up to ... being available for those phone calls at two in the morning. I remember another time when she was sick a couple of years ago and those calls were going to me, the NOT doctor, or to my dad, the other NOT doctor, so we were running up there at all hours of the night and morning, so having Hospice there, available for those calls was so helpful.
"And Tracey the social worker ... sending people to check up on her. I want to say they prioritised her, it felt like they did. They made it feel like she was top of the list, and they made sure she got what she needed straight away, which was a big help for us. If we didn't know what was happening, they would be able to answer questions."
"It's not just the patients," says Kelly, who works at Hospice Whanganui. "It's the families as well who do a lot of the caregiving, and they need to be ok as well and have an understanding of what's going on and what support we can offer them. It is very much patient-focused but there's also the wrap-around care for the families, which is just as important."