The run was great. I had been training twice a day for some time and it all paid off. It was quite emotional during the run as I was remembering the time spent at the Hospice with my father. Ten years is a very long time but it’s gone by so quickly.

When my siblings and I were young we didn’t know or understand what a hospice was. We actually thought it was a place where people go to die and we were all afraid, but we were wrong.

The level of care during his final days taught us that a hospice is more about quality of life than it is about death. It’s about supporting the patient and their family through the most painful experience. Ten years later we still haven’t forgotten. Compassion and support is what makes a good nurse or clinician.

My dad was a GP in the area and very well known amongst the community. A lot of my dad’s patients still remember him fondly for the care he gave and, after all his years of hard work, he received great care during the time he was unwell. My parents taught my siblings and I that although we live in a harsh world, being kind and showing compassion, particularly in our line of work as doctors and nurses, is of utmost importance. The level of care we saw ten years ago at the Hospice was also a learning point as it was the beginning of our studies and careers in the medical field.

The staff who worked ten years ago may not be working there today, but if they are, my dad was in room 4. Please let them know Dr Sheikh’s family still and will always remember them.