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Sue's Story

This is Me Sue

“Soak up the special memories with your loved ones”

I am a Wife, Mother, Sister, Aunty and Grandmother to the special people in my life.

I grew up on the West Coast of Tasmania but have lived in the Hobart area for the last 47 years. I spent the majority of my career caring for the elderly, I always enjoyed providing compassionate care to others.

Being part of this project was a great opportunity to have memories taken of me and my grandchildren, captured by my daughter Eliza. I feel strongly about spreading the word on palliative care and breaking down the stigma around it. I love the message ‘Palliative care is more than you think’.

I think a lot of people misunderstand what palliative care is. I think further education is needed for everyone to have a better understanding of what palliative care is and how it could improve the quality of life of those with a life limiting illness.

I use a number of palliative care services including the Specialist Palliative Care Service, Gibson Unit and my GP.

Palliative care services are supportive, and they are always there when you need them. I think many people are misguided by the term palliative care, thinking that it is only for the end-of-life stage. It would be great to get the message out that palliative care can help during many stages of a life limiting illness and help you live a better life during your journey.

The advice I would offer someone newly diagnosed with a life limiting illness would be to soak up as many special memories with your loved ones. Do the things that give you joy and make you happy. Focus on the positives as much as possible, as little or big as they may be.

What matters most to me is spending time with my family and loved ones. I’ve always loved gardening, and spending time in my garden has given me a lot of joy during this difficult time.

I would also encourage people to contact a palliative care service early and have supports in place to make your journey as easy and straightforward as possible.”

Sadly, Sue passed away in December 2024. We are grateful to Sue, her husband Peter, and daughter Eliza for trusting us to share her story and show the community that palliative care is more than people think.

Rest peacefully, Sue.