This is Leanne Spriggs, she is the Clinical Nurse Specialist and Team Manager of the Children’s Hospice at Home nursing team that the Pepper Foundation fund. We sat with Leanne (virtually of course!) to talk about how much this role means to her as part of Children’s Hospice Week 2020.
Read her heartwarming story below:
How I became a Children’s Hospice at Home Nurse
“I have been a children’s nurse for nearly six years. I started my career in neonatal intensive care and then moved to the community as a children’s community nurse, it was in that role that I developed a passion for palliative care and hence began working towards the position I am in now”
“I had always wanted to work within healthcare but was particularly inspired by a personal experience, I have a younger sister who as an infant had complex health needs.”
The Highs and The Lows
“The highlight of my role in the team is the positive difference we can make to the lives of our patients and their families allowing the children to remain at home, symptom free, and able to enjoy their lives together as a family”
“Hard times can be challenging – physically, mentally and emotionally. However, these times are limited for nurses but are indefinite for our patients and families. My working day will always end (albeit sometimes many hours after originally planned) with light at the end of the tunnel for me, as I am hugely motivated by our patients and families whose daily struggles never end.”
“Every day in this role I feel proud”
“I am proud of the incredible organisation that I work for and the organisations around our team that support us hugely. I am proud of my colleagues and team who are hard-working and supportive”
“Most of all however I am immensely proud to be working with the most incredible patients and their parents who dedicate their lives to the needs of their children, every day I am overwhelmed by their heroism.”
A heartfelt thank you
“To everyone and anyone who donates to and supports the Pepper Foundation I would like to say the biggest thank you! We are hugely grateful for the support – it allows us to continue with the work we enjoy and continues to allow children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions to enjoy lives at home with their families for as long as is possible.”
Have you been inspired by Leanne’s story?
Please donate to The Pepper Foundation so we can help Leanne and her team continue this amazing work. Thank you.
