Roy’s Robin

Roy Andrew was 64 years old when he passed away from bowel cancer in 2009. He was working as a Tool Maker in Gateshead when diagnosed, and sadly didn’t get to retire due to his illness. He spent his last days at St Cuthbert’s Hospice surrounded by his loving family.

His daughter Katy has kindly shared a touching moment from that time.

“We were with Dad in his room when a robin flew into the big window and dropped to the floor. We all got such a shock. We rushed over and scooped him into our hands. We started rubbing his chest and talking to him to try to wake him up. We took him over to Dad and kept stroking him, then suddenly the robin jumped up and flew out the window. I know it sounds silly, but we believe that the robin took Dad’s soul away.”

“Dad died so peacefully, it seems strange to say, but it was lovely. Dad’s breathing had slowed, and he was sleeping lots. I remember saying to him how much I loved him and how good a Dad he was, and he somehow mustered the energy to raise his hand and stroke my hair. We had calming music on in the room, and the nurses were so caring. We loved looking out the windows and seeing the beautiful sunsets. It’s exactly the place you’d wish for your loved one to be in those final moments. The perfect place to say goodbye.”

Every Christmas Eve, Katy and her family come to the Hospice memory garden to see the leaf they have dedicated to her Dad Roy, then go for a walk in Durham and up to the Cathedral.

“We always see a robin.” Katy says. “One year we hadn’t seen one and I was feeling quite sad. We’d popped to the shops for some last minute bits, and a robin was sitting in the doorway almost waiting for us – just sitting there without a care in the world with all these people rushing past, it was quite unbelievable.”

“We come to visit the In Memory Tree and gardens on all special occasions for Dad – his birthday, his anniversary, as well as on Christmas Eve.”

“Sometimes I like to just come to the garden to have a coffee and to sit and remember Dad, as I find it so peaceful and beautiful. It makes me feel really close to Dad when I sit there, as this was the last place I spent time with him, and although it was obviously very sad, it brings me so much comfort that he spent his last days in such a peaceful place. The tree itself is beautiful, and it brings me a lot of comfort seeing his name on the tree too.”