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Northern Ireland hospices: 'The simple things really matter'

Over the past year the four main hospices in Northern Ireland have cared for almost 11,000 adults and 300 children.

They don't just provide end-of-life care. Hospices also support families living with illnesses on a long-term basis.

BBC Newsline's Sara Girvin has been speaking to some of those who have received that help.

Read more: 'You don't think you need a hospice until you do'

8 December 2021

Palliative care

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Rachel Davies wearing a hospital gown and lying in a bed.

Welsh cancer patient denied life-extending drug

Sebastian is being kissed on the cheek by his mother Amanda. He has short blonde hair and is wearing a blue jacket. Amanda is wearing a black and white headscarf and gold feathered earrings.

'He has nowhere to go and he's still there'

Northern Ireland

Riley smiles and holds a laptop screen with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively on it.

Meeting Deadpool 'means everything' to boy, 9

A man with black glasses and a yellow jumper looks at the camera. He has black hair

'We caught my cancer early - that was key'

Northern Ireland

Cahir O'Hagan in football top in stadium

'Medication wasn't able to save my brother'

Northern Ireland

Young girl Betsy, wearing a puffer coat and holding her racehorse's face close to her.

Racehorse brings joy during girl's cancer journey

Endometriosis patient Lara Stevens believes the condition should be treated more urgently

Treat endometriosis more urgently, says patient

Janey Godley

'Who knows how long I'll be here?' - Janey Godley

Louis, William, Kate, Charlotte and George

Kate releases message after completing chemo treatment

Noah in his school uniform

Four-year-old cancer survivor starts school

Amy Dowden

Amy Dowden 'forever in fear of cancer returning'

London doctor Juhee Pahuja and her dance group

'I use dance to inform people about blood cancer'

A doctor carrying out a procedure in a hospital

Laser procedure treating bladder cancer patients

Maria

'I froze my eggs before I got chemotherapy'

Northern Ireland

Simon Boas speaking on Radio 4 Today programme

Simon Boas explains how cancer diagnosis helped him enjoy life more

Two people sitting on a bench outside

'Too many people won't do the right thing'

Northern Ireland

Man with red boxing gloves on

'You can't give up, you've got to get up'

Northern Ireland

Lyndsey Ainscough on BBC Breakfast

How Dame Deborah James helped save a mum's life

Junior playing with his toys

Mum's warning after son's eye cancer diagnosis

Leyla Ozturk

'Football literally saved my life'

Emma, with long brown hair and wearing a purple hoody, looks to the side of the camera

How schools can help bereaved pupils with grief

Emma, who lost her brother, says it can be "overwhelming" to deal with grief alongside school work.

Northern Ireland

Tom Hadden sits on a grey sofa. He is wearing a stripey top.

'Rural road crash changed my life'

Tom Hadden was driving a bin lorry down a country road when another truck collided with his vehicle.

Northern Ireland

A woman with straight blonde hair looks to the side of the camera. She is wearing a blue t-shirt and necklace.

Parents of SEN young people call for support

Currently pupils with special educational needs do not receive automatic support to continue in education when they leave school.

Northern Ireland

Memorial stone in Ballyatrick forest to Inga Maria Hauser. Bouquets of flowers have been placed around the stone

Murdered backpacker's family hopeful over inquest

Eighteen-year-old Inga Maria Hauser's body was found in Ballypatrick forest in County Antrim in 1988.

Northern Ireland

A hole in a dark gravel road up close with a road continuing in the background surrounded by fields

'The edges have eroded away'

Potholes and deteriorating rural roads are affecting journeys, said a transport provider.

Northern Ireland

Noleen Mullan, the mother of Katie Simpson, speaking at a press conference. She is wearing an olive coat over a white top.

Katie Simpson family 'feeling empty' after report

Katie Simpson's mother says those responsible for police failings "are nowhere to be seen".

Northern Ireland

Debbie McCrudden

'I'm glad I didn't let the fear stop me'

Debbie McCrudden was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2014 and was worried about having children.

Northern Ireland

A man with a black beard and black hair stands in front of University of Ulster building wearing a black hoody

Belfast reacts to Trump's US election victory

BBC NI asks people in Belfast how they feel about Donald Trump's victory in the US election.

Northern Ireland

Sandra Larmour

‘Drugs was never really a topic of conversation’

Sandra Larmour's daughter Jeni died hours after arriving at Newcastle University to begin her degree.

Northern Ireland

Gillian Kearney speaking at a police press conference. There is a green PSNI banner behind her and four microphones in front. She is in uniform and has blonde hair, which is tied back.

Increased police presence in Derry after attacks

Speaking at a press conference, Ch Supt Kearney says the extra policing will continue over the coming days.

Northern Ireland

Indiana Land sign, with snakes and birds

A trip down memory lane with BBC archives

More than 9,000 new video clips from the 1990s have been added to the BBC Northern Ireland Rewind website.

Northern Ireland

Lara Storey sitting in front of a window

'I never had anyone sit down and take me seriously'

Former Tesco employee Lara Storey wants other women to know they don’t have to accept unwanted behaviour.

Northern Ireland

Melissa Hamilton - a woman with long, blonde hair which is tied back in a ponytail is smiling as she looks slightly off camera.

'To perform ballet back home is a dream come true'

Melissa Hamilton is performing three ballet shows in Belfast's Grand Opera House this weekend.

Northern Ireland

Kwame Daniels in front of the Telegraph building in Belfast. He is wearing thick-rimmed glasses, a green jacket, a red shirt and a ruck sack.

'I'm home': Anti-slavery show explores Belfast diversity

A unique live show commemorating Belfast's opposition to the slave trade has opened in the city centre.

Northern Ireland

Deirdre Shakespeare wearing a white blouse and gold necklace. She has wavy blonde hair and is outside. There are trees and fields behind her.

Mother 'vindicated' by report into autistic son's treatment

Deirdre Shakespeare's son, Harry, was restrained in a chair at his special school without her knowledge.

Northern Ireland

Christine McCleery - she has long blonde hair and a black top on.

'I want to prevent this happening again' - Mum of stillborn baby

Services for pregnant women need to be overhauled in Northern Ireland, a review finds.

Northern Ireland

Woody the dog - he wears a harness and is a red labrador. He has beautiful brown eyes

'One ferret killed 27 puffins' - the dog keeping seabirds safe

Ferrets and rats pose a grave risk to puffins and other seabirds who breed on Rathlin Island every year.

Northern Ireland

Christ the Redeemer's vice-principal Nicola McKeown - she has blond hair and a wide smile

Grownups go back to maths class

Parents and grandparents go back to school to help pupils at Christ the Redeemer Primary School in Dunmurry.

Northern Ireland

A translink train, painted yellow, blue and grey, stationary on the rail lines at Belfast's Grand Central Station

'A hugely significant day for public transport'

Belfast's Grand Central Station first train left for Dublin Connolly.

Northern Ireland

The Ferry

Strangford ferry to be suspended for five weeks

Commuters and GAA fans are worried about the works.

Northern Ireland