Sarah Wilsher hopes to raise thousands of pounds for the charity

A thrill-seeking North London Hospice nurse is preparing to jump out of a plane in her bid to raise money for the charity.

Sarah Wilsher says she has always been a “bit of daredevil” but this took a back seat as she got older and had her children. However, her experiences with the hospice have made her rethink.

“They made me realise I should seize the moment and live for now,” Sarah explains, “because today and tomorrow are not promised”.

After losing nine stones in weight, Sarah was able to put herself forward for the skydive – something she has always wanted to do – which will take place on Saturday (4th March) at an airbase in Peterborough.

Sarah, who started working for North London Hospice as part of its community palliative care support team in 2018 and is now a bank nurse at weekends, initially set out to raise £1,500 for the hospice but has already surpassed that target. She describes the charity as a “wonderful place that supports patients and families through emotional and tough journeys”. 

Having missed the holistic side of care, Sarah transferred to the inpatient unit after a few months, where she worked for five years. She absolutely loved it and said it was the best nursing job she has ever done. “It is so rewarding to be able to give back to someone in the last part of their journey through life,” she says. “We meet so many lovely families and being able to support them is a real privilege.”

The 36-year-old went into nursing because she wanted to make a positive change. “I wanted to be that memorable nurse, the one about whom a family member or patient says, ‘I remember that nurse; she was nice’. I want people to have a positive experience.”

Sarah’s main job is now is working as a tissue viability specialist nurse (meaning she looks after patients who have non-healing wounds) with the NHS, but she continues to help out at North London Hospice when needed.

Patients whose circumstances have struck a chord with Sarah include a woman in her early 30s, who had been in and out of the hospice for symptom control. She and her new husband wanted to spend the night together, so Sarah and other hospice staff created a ‘film night’ for them with a TV screen. “She passed away a few weeks later, so it was really nice for them to have that time together,” recalls Sarah.

She cites the story of a patient in his 50s who was dying from cancer, as was his father. The pair had been looked after at different hospitals so had not seen each other for four months. “We put their beds together in the lounge area to give them more space and they held hands. It was a really touching moment because the patient’s wife was there and was so appreciative that both her husband and son got some time together at the end.”

North London Hospice is based in Finchley and serves Barnet, Enfield and Haringey, with an outpatient and therapies service operating from its health and wellbeing centre in Winchmore Hill. Sarah is full of praise for the charity’s staff and added: “They team are fantastic and amazing at what they do. It’s like a real family”

To sponsor Sarah’s skydive:
Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/sarah-wisher2

Update

Sarah successfully completed her skydive on Saturday, 4th March, and raised £1,800 for North London Hospice.

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