The Myton Hospices - People's Stories

Lynda Roche was first diagnosed with vulval cancer in 2018. After surgery and treatment, eight years later, in 2025, the cancer returned. Her daughter, Carla, said:

Mum had been dismissed by the GP and hospital a few times, but when we were finally told the cancer was back, it progressed very quickly and aggressively. Hardly anyone has heard of vulval cancer and, because it's such a personal area, we didn't really know what to do.

Lynda spent February and March 2026 in hospital. Three weeks into her stay, The Myton Hospices was mentioned, and she was admitted to Warwick Myton Hospice for respite care, pain management and symptom control. Carla admitted her perception of hospice care changed almost immediately.

The Myton Hospices - Patient Stories - Lynda's Story

At first, I didn't think mum needed hospice care. I thought it was a bit of an overreaction. But when she came home from hospital, she was so withdrawn and lonely. The minute we arrived at Myton, we all felt relaxed.

One of the family's biggest concerns was Lynda's medication.

Coming out of hospital, there was very little guidance about what to take, when to take it and how it all worked together. We had a bit of a breakdown trying to work it out. The doctors at Myton sat down with Mum, listened to what she was experiencing and changed her medication. Within 24 hours, she was like a different person. She became more like herself again. She was joking, laughing and finding light again. She got her mojo back. But she also became more accepting of what was happening.

The family quickly noticed that the care went far beyond managing symptoms.

Everyone at Myton was incredible. Mum got on with the nurses and nursing assistants like a house on fire. They became more like friends than carers.

Because her cancer affected such a sensitive area, she had to put a huge amount of trust in them. Before Myton, she would have struggled to ask for help because she felt embarrassed, but there, nothing was too much trouble. Her care always came first, and she'd never really experienced that before.

The hospice team also recognised when Lynda needed something beyond medical care.

Mum loved being out in the gardens. If she was feeling low, the staff would gently encourage her outside and it always lifted her mood. It wasn't always medical. They understood when she needed a change of scenery or something to make her smile. Even for us, having the grounds to walk around or simply sit quietly made such a difference. We spent time watching the birds and ducks – we even named one Doris.

Lynda hoped to return home, and the Myton team began helping the family prepare.

Occupational Therapy arranged equipment for the house and sorted things like a walking stick. It took away so much of the stress of trying to organise everything ourselves.

We were trying to work out what benefits mum was entitled to, and someone mentioned Myton's Citizens Advice service. Dave helped mum apply for Personal Independence Payment, which she'd been waiting a long time to arrange. We had no idea a hospice offered that kind of support. It was incredibly valuable. Even now, dad is still in touch with Dave to help organise the benefits he's entitled to after mum's death.

As Lynda's condition changed, the hospice focused not only on her care but on making the most of the family's time together.

The attentiveness of the team is something I'll never forget. Because mum's cancer was so rare, they really took the time to understand her experience and what mattered to her. Having an en-suite gave her dignity, and it meant dad could be her husband again instead of her carer. That time together meant everything to them.

They treated all of us with the same kindness and respect they showed mum. We could stay with her, they found us spare beds and blankets, and nothing ever felt like too much trouble.

One of the nurses even left mum until the end of her round so she could stay and have a cup of tea with her for a bit longer. Those are the moments you never forget.

Carla and her partner James stayed in our relatives' accommodation so they could remain close by. When Carla's sister Amy travelled home from Australia, the family wanted one evening together.

We mentioned it to one of the nurses and they arranged another bed in mum's room so we could all stay together. They told us to order a takeaway, get some snacks and have a movie night. It gave us a sense of normality that we'd been missing for such a long time, and I'm so grateful we had that.

After two weeks, it became clear Lynda was too unwell to return home. A week later, she became unresponsive.

We'd been told to expect it at some point, but what we didn't expect was for mum to wake up the next day as though nothing had happened. She was bubbly again and completely herself. Having that extra time together felt like such a privilege.

Throughout that time, Carla said the hospice team helped the family understand what was happening.

At first we were trying to work out what equipment we needed and what care mum would need, but the doctors explained everything so clearly. They suggested little things that would make her more comfortable and helped us prepare for what was ahead.

James remembers how the nurses cared for the family as well as Lynda.

We'd been living on takeaways, staying in the relatives' accommodation and barely thinking about ourselves because all we wanted was to be with Lynda. One of the nurses took us aside and said it was okay to go home for a night, have a proper sleep, shower and reset. They promised Lynda was only ever a phone call away. I think we needed someone to give us permission to do that. They looked after us just as much as they looked after Lynda.

As the family began talking about Lynda's wishes, our Spiritual and Pastoral Care Team became another source of comfort.

Ellie, the Spiritual Care Lead and Chaplain, spent time getting to know mum. She would read poems and passages to her, which brought her a huge amount of comfort and reassurance about what was ahead.

Lynda died on 7^th May 2026, aged 59, after four weeks at Myton. Before she died, Carla and James brought their wedding forward in the hope she would be well enough to attend. James said:

Myton gave Lynda a sense of acceptance. She started saying, 'I might make it to your wedding, I might not.' That was difficult to hear, but she had found clarity about what was happening. Although she wasn't able to be there, we know she received the very best care until the day she died.

Carla hopes sharing Lynda's story will encourage more people to understand what hospice care really is.

Hospices still have a stigma. People think they're only for the very end of life, but while mum was there, there were patients with Parkinson's and many other conditions. We were surprised by how many different people Myton supported.

It's such a shame that people miss out on hospice care because they don't know what's available or think it isn't for them. Looking back, we all wish we'd known about Myton sooner.

She believes the greatest difference Myton made was helping Lynda feel heard.

After being dismissed so many times following her diagnosis, mum often felt she wasn't being listened to and that she didn't matter. At Myton, that completely changed. They listened to her, respected her and helped her feel like herself again. They gave her back her voice.

Reflecting on the family's experience, Lynda’s husband, Tom, said:

Lynda was the light in every room, and Myton gave that light back to her. She was more like herself than she had been in the previous 12 months, and that's all because of the care she received at Myton. We were able to laugh, make precious memories and simply enjoy our time together. She even managed to come home to celebrate her birthday, which meant so much to us.

Myton took away the stress of trying to care for Lynda at home when we felt overwhelmed and unsure how to cope. Knowing she was being so well looked after gave me real peace of mind.

The staff were incredible. They cared not only for Lynda, but for all of us, and continued to support us after she died. I'll never forget their kindness. Dave, from the Citizens Advice team, has also been amazing, helping me with my own circumstances during such a difficult time and making everything so much easier to deal with.

Carla added:

We'll never forget the people we met at Myton. They cared for mum with such dignity and kindness, and they looked after all of us too. They made such a difficult time feel as positive as it possibly could. Even now, coming back to Myton doesn't make us feel sad. It's somewhere we'll always associate with the incredible people who cared for Mum.

We hope no one has to go through what mum did, but if they ever need hospice care, I hope they get the same support we did. We only wish we'd found Myton sooner. Four weeks just wasn't enough.