Making a loving mum’s last wish come true

21st June 2024

Lynette’s last wish

It was Lynette Ball’s dearest wish to witness her son, Stuart, marry his partner, Amy. But with a terminal diagnosis and Lynette’s health deteriorating rapidly, time was running short.

That’s when the St Luke’s nursing team caring for the 60-year-old mother and grandmother at her home on Plymouth’s Barbican pulled out all the stops to make her dream come true.

“Mum was adamant that she wanted us to be married, settle down and be happy,” said Stuart. “And we wanted her to be there at our wedding.”

Amy added: “Stuart and I grew up together. His mum always stood by me and helped me through difficult times. She was my rock.”

Within a few hours our team had rallied round to create the closest they could to an actual marriage – a beautiful ceremony of commitment for the couple at Lynette’s bedside. They quickly sourced everything needed for the occasion last May.

  • St Luke’s Drake shop helped Amy pick out a wedding dress, shoes and necklace, all lent for the day.
  • A spread of celebration food was lovingly prepared by the catering team at our specialist unit at Turnchapel.
  • Wedding rings were loaned by Drake’s jewellers in Plymouth city centre, long-time supporters of St Luke’s.
  • Senior health care assistant Selina prepared and conducted the blessing of love, and the whole team worked wonders with flowers.

Thank you

“We have so much respect for everything they did for Mum and us,” said Amy. “We want to say a big thank you to them all.

“I didn’t expect the ceremony to be pulled together so quickly. What they did was amazing. One of the nurses even did my hair and make-up and Kadie lent me the veil from her wedding. There were lovely balloons and a big one with feathers inside that Mum really loved. We kept it in the room with her, and we’ve saved some of the feathers.

“For a few days before the ceremony Mum hadn’t been talking. But as I walked in wearing my wedding dress, she spoke to me. Then, after we’d said, ‘I do’, Mum said, ‘I need to sign the register’. Nurse Debbie quickly found something she could sign, and she really believed she had put her signature as a witness on our wedding certificate. That was so important to her.”

Specialist care at home

Lynette died a few days later in her own home, just as she’d wished, with Amy holding her hand. Her death was a huge blow for the couple who, after seven years together, had finally got engaged on holiday in Turkey only weeks earlier.

Sadly the happy announcement Lynette had been longing for was quickly followed by the news that she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

“She was in hospital for a couple of weeks, and we’d started planning the wedding together and set a date, but then it became clear she wasn’t going to make it.”

Lynette was referred to the St Luke’s team at Derriford and it came as a huge relief when they arranged for her to receive specialist care at home.

“She wanted to go home, and we wanted her there too. St Luke’s got it all sorted. I couldn’t fault them; they were amazing.”

Stuart added: “Obviously we wanted to keep Mum’s dignity as much as we could, and we did that with the help of St Luke’s. They were there regularly and always at the end of the phone when we needed them.

“When you are going through hard times like we are, there are always ups and downs. And the downs were made a darn site easier because of St Luke’s help.”

Making precious memories

The couple were officially married in June last year, with Amy wearing the same dress she had borrowed for the home ceremony.

“I went back and bought it from the shop and wore it to our wedding. It made me feel like Mum was with us.”

At St Luke’s our compassionate end of life care goes above and beyond medical treatment. We do our best to help our patients and their families make precious memories together that can be treasured for years to come.

Stuart and Amy will never forget their special day, pledging their love and commitment to one another in front of Lynette. The mementoes they have kept from the occasion not only help them feel close to her; they are also reminders of the respectful care Lynette received from St Luke’s in her final weeks and the team who went over and above to make her dearest wish come true.

Memories in Bloom

St Luke’s specialist end of life care teams have a holistic approach meaning they do all they can to help patients live as well as possible in their final months, weeks or days. An important part of that is encouraging and enabling them to make happy memories with family and close friends that can be treasured in years to come.

Memories in Bloom gives you the chance to donate and dedicate by sharing your own happy memories of a loved one and help us to continue caring for those in need of our support. Flowers are symbols of love, hope, healing and renewal, a fitting tribute to your loved ones and their memories.

As a thank-you for your generosity, we’ll send you a St Luke’s Memories in Bloom poem card embedded with real flower seeds, ready to plant and care for at home in honour of the people who will always hold a special place in your heart.

Click here to leave your dedication.

Memories in Bloom

Related articles

, ,

BLOG: Lighting up the season: TEC Construction brings Christmas cheer to Turnchapel

Our specialist unit at Turnchapel was filled with festive cheer last week as the kind-hearted TEC Construction helped us to light up our beautiful Christmas tree - standing tall enough for our patients to enjoy its sparkle from their windows. Thanks to TEC Construction and their local subcontractors at LTC Access Platform and ACD Electrical - the night’s sky was lit up with hundreds of multi-coloured lights and a shining star sitting atop of the impressive tree - watched on by our nurses, patients, family members and members of our community including children from Hooe Primary Academy who graced everyone with a selection of beautifully sung Christmas carols.
, ,

BLOG: Community spirit shines bright as Plympton street supports St Luke’s

Residents of Redvers Grove in Plympton, Plymouth have come together to light up their street in a dazzling display of festive cheer - all to raise vital funds for St Luke’s. Each of the neighbours on the street have adorned their houses and gardens with illuminating white Christmas lights, a tradition which started 24 years ago and has since grown as more and more people have moved to the street.
, ,

BLOG: Running for care: Darite’s festive dash

Darite Primary Academy near Liskeard brought the festive cheer to the moors with their amazing Rudolph Run! From Reception to Year 6, every child loved decorating their antlers, getting active in the fresh air, and raising money for a cause close to their hearts. Supporting St Luke’s means so much to this small but mighty school community, where families know first-hand the compassionate care we provide for loved ones at the end of life.
, ,

BLOG: Decking the Halls at Turnchapel

A sprinkling of Christmas cheer has brightened up our specialist unit this week. A group of kind-hearted volunteers from Land Registry, Plymouth volunteered their time to decorate the Christmas trees that have generously been donated to St Luke’s by Blue Diamond Endsleigh Garden Centre Ivybridge. The team spent the day adding touches of tinsel and baubles to the entrance, reception and on the wards, bringing some festive joy to not only the people staying with us, but their families, visitors and all our staff and volunteers.
, ,

BLOG: Coping at Christmas

Bereavement is hard at any time of year, but the festive season - and Christmas itself -can feel particularly challenging for anyone experiencing grief. No-one understands this more than us. As well as providing specialist end-of-life care for people with terminal illness, we offer their family members bereavement support too. This week (2-8 December) is National Grief Awareness Week, in association with The Good Grief Trust. The aim of the week is to raise awareness of grief, highlight the support on offer and to normalise conversations around it.
, ,

BLOG: St Luke’s Men’s Day Out is back for 2026!

Step up for each other, stride out for hospice care – St Luke’s Men’s Day Out is back for 2026! Walk with us on Saturday 14 March 2026 and show families in our community they’re not alone. By joining the mass of big-hearted men marching through Plymouth, you’ll help bring St Luke’s compassionate, expert care to those who need it most.
, ,

BLOG: Light Up a Life 2025

We believe in celebrating the special people who are no longer with us, especially during the festive season, which can sometimes be particularly difficult. As you know, at St Luke’s, we are here to support terminally ill patients and their families who will be spending their final Christmas together, as well as those facing their first Christmas without a dear loved one. The one thing we never forget is that people are not just their illnesses – their illness is something that happens to them. With that in mind, we make sure we focus on the entire life of each individual patient and what matters most to them and their family members. We do our best to provide the support that allows them to enjoy and make the very most of the time they have left together. And later, we carry on being there for those left behind as they cope with the pain of loss. We invite you all to join us at our Light Up a Life Remembrance Services on Tuesday 16 December to remember and celebrate those we have loved.
, ,

BLOG: St Luke’s opens Plymouth’s largest charity shop at Charles Cross

St Luke’s has opened the doors to its brand-new flagship store at Charles Cross - claiming the title of Plymouth’s biggest charity shop. We have relocated our flagship furniture store from the former Toys ‘R’ Us building at Western Approach to a prime city-centre location, just yards away from shopping hub Drake Circus. There to cut the ribbon were members of our Urgent Care Team, who are committed to providing our compassionate end-of-life care and bespoke support to people at home.
, ,

BLOG: Because home is where love lives

Valerie and her husband Michael have shared a lifetime together - surviving war, raising a family, and building memories that span continents. Recently, Val was diagnosed with cancer of the blood, and her greatest wish was simple: to stay at home with the man she’s loved for 66 years. Thanks to St Luke’s, that wish came true. Our team is there every day, bringing comfort, dignity, and compassion - because home is where love lives. “They’re just like friends coming to visit you… It helps the family too. People forget about the family.” This is hospice care at its heart: not just caring for patients, but wrapping families in support when they need it most. Your support is how we make moments like this possible. Thank you.
PreviousNext

Our Care

Support us

Courses

Information

BLOG: Shining a light on Lee’s memory at our Midnight WalkBLOG: Making midnight memories for mum