Angela Otomewo
August 2024
Angela
Otomewo
,
RN
Turner Ward
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Torbay
,
Devon
United Kingdom

 

 

 

Angela told me that she felt J had a wonderful and beautiful end to his life, surrounded by so much love. That really meant a lot to me.
My husband J passed away on Turner Ward. He was only 44, and although he had been poorly for a while, his deterioration was quite sudden and shocking for us. On this visit, we were on the ward for less than 24 hours. Angela came onto the night shift as J's condition began to deteriorate.

Medically, she provided top-class care with incredible thoughtfulness. She sat with him for a few moments to gain a sense of how things were and proceeded to make his last hours as comfortable and peaceful as she could. As soon as we mentioned that he had slipped down from his pillows a little bit or his sheet had even a small amount of blood on it, Angela was there checking on him and kindly asking her colleagues to come in and help us sort things out. I will never forget her words or her kindness. Several times, she spoke to me about loss and grief, and even through my shock, I could feel her care and understanding. She took me to sit down for a few minutes when she saw that I needed it, constantly reminded me to look after myself, and gave me and my sons a chocolate biscuit from her own personal stash at 3 am!

Every now and again, she sat for a minute or two just to observe how J was doing and ask if we were ok. When J passed, she was so considerate and took everything at our pace. Again, she walked with me up the corridor to sit for a while. Both of my sons and I were with him at the end, and other family had been present during the evening. Angela told me that she felt J had a wonderful and beautiful end to his life, surrounded by so much love. That really meant a lot to me. Afterward, she explained everything that would happen - more than once, with absolute patience - to the smallest detail. When I felt like I couldn't cope, she saw and supported me. She truly was an angel in our darkest time, and I will be forever grateful.