The Myton Hospices - People's Stories

For Ben Knight and his family, being able to be together at home during his final weeks was as Ben himself said; ‘…just another happy period of my life’. For Ben’s family, the time was unbelievably precious.

And during the Coronavirus pandemic, services like Myton at Home and the Rapid Response team made this possible.

Ben Knight - Patient Story - The Myton Hospices - Warwickshire - Coventry - Leamington Spa - Rugby - Warwick - Care

Ben had been diagnosed with Kidney cancer in early 2018, and tumours on his Lungs and Liver were found too; 18 months of treatment helped to reduce some of the tumours.

But in Spring last year a scan showed the cancer in his Kidney was growing again. He tried another treatment but was advised to discontinue this after his health began to deteriorate rapidly. As his condition worsened, he suffered several bad falls and was consequently referred to local District Nurses.

His wife Cynthia said:

We had been struggling to help him with things like going to the toilet, positioning in bed. I’m 78 too and there’s only so much I could do to help. Thank goodness for Myton – they were guardian angels. You could see Ben brighten up when the Myton at Home nurses arrived; they treated him like family and he warmed to them.

Ben grew up in London’s East End, was an avid West Ham fan (when things were going well!)

He went on to study Economics at Manchester University and later lectured the next generation of economists at the University of Warwick.

He was described by countless students and colleagues past and present as ‘a brilliant teacher’ and ‘wonderful human being’ when a tribute page was set up for him by his family and colleagues at Warwick Business School.

While having Ben at home meant the family could be together, it could also feel frightening and overwhelming for Cynthia and her daughters, as well as Ben.

Cynthia said:

The Myton at Home nurses kept us informed with what was happening and knew when he was nearing the end. They were sensitive about it all. And then they were on hand when we needed them for the practical stuff like registering the death – I don’t think we could have done all of it without them.

Cynthia also described how the ongoing partnership that developed in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic between the District Nurses and the Myton at Home team was invaluable and ensured continuity of care and the most dignified end-of-life experience that Ben and his family could have hoped for.

Being an economist, Ben was always interested in the cost versus return value of services, and the Myton at Home care for Ben equated to a total cost of £5,115.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, even more people are choosing to spend their final days at home with loved ones and at Myton we are continuing to do our very best to make this possible.