Wairarapa’s locally owned community newspaper
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019
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Precious memories captured Emily Ireland Every moment counts when a loved one is terminally ill. And capturing those moments forever is just one of Hospice Wairarapa’s many gifts to their patients’ families. Hospice Wairarapa’s Precious Memories programme pairs terminally ill patients with volunteer photographers to create a digital memory, leaving a special bereavement legacy. One of their photoshoots captured the motherdaughter bond between Masterton patient Cherie Dette and her daughter Dyami Kirwan who was visiting from Australia. Cherie lost her cancer battle on June 30 last year, aged 46. In an interview last year, Cherie said she wished she had found Hospice sooner. Hospice provided her with yoga sessions, help with her garden, massages, window cleaning, and the photography session with her daughter. Cherie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. In early 2015 Cherie was told the cancer had spread to both of her lungs and was super aggressive and fast-growing – doctors said it was inoperable.
giving Suzie Adamson general manager Hospice Wairarapa said Cherie was an “incredible woman” and that it was a pleasure to have been able to capture her legacy through Precious Memories. “It’s about giving the patients we work with the opportunity to create a legacy,” Suzie said. “We’ve done a birthday party for a one-year-old and sadly that was his first and only birthday party. “We’ve done an 80-yearold’s birthday party at Copthorne, we’ve done beautiful photoshoots at the park, at people’s places, we’ve done a video for a gentleman who was too ill to travel to England for his son’s wedding, and that video was played at the wedding ceremony. “It’s about giving the family something in bereavement to remember.” Suzie said people were not very good at talking about death and dying. “The irony is Hospice is not about death and dying
FOR LIVING
– it’s about living every moment. “Precious Memories gives families the chance to live that moment forever.” The two volunteer photographers that work with Wairarapa Hospice are Judy Wagg and Paul Adamson. Suzie recalled one family Judy worked with who had eight children. “Our photographer said to the husband and wife – I want you to put your arms around your wife and give her a kiss. “The kids went, oh yuck why would you want to do that. “Later on, Judy said it was because, when your partner goes, I want you to look at that photo and remember what it felt like when he looked Continued on page 4
The late Cherie Dette and her daughter Dyami Kirwan who was visiting from Australia. PHOTO/JUDY WAGG