DAVIE CAMERON chokes back a tear when he remembers the first time his wife Beatrice visited the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice.

She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and after an operation at the Southern General hospital had been given just three days to life.

"I came to the hospice and said, 'I'm looking for help'. They took me at my word of the three days Beatrice had been given and brought her in," says Davie.

"They asked me, 'What would you like us to do?' and I said, 'Give her peace.'

"When she got her diagnosis of cancer, her doctor was very blunt. He said, 'Go home and get your affairs in order. You're going to die.' She was terrified.

"Beatrice was so scared that first trip to the hospice but she came to love it - and so did I.

"I have always known about the hospice, I have visited patients here over the years. I can't thank the staff enough for their help and care."

The helping hand that reached out to Beatrice and Davie, from Crookston, welcomed the couple to a safe haven, where Beatrice's condition was actually given a boost.

"Her quality of life was very much improved. The day after she was brought in she was down in the cafe drinking coffee. That's where the palliative care kicks in," says 63-year-old Davie, a retired aircraft technician who worked at Rolls-Royce and Turner Aviation.

From that day Beatrice was supported by the hospice, going home when she was well enough and attending various outpatient services, then returning for respite care.

A bubbly character who was always full of energy and enthusiasm, Beatrice was 53 when she died, after battling the illness for two and a half years.

She visited the hospice, at Carlton Place, twice a week for counselling and to work in the art room, discovering a talent and passion for abstract painting.

"You've got to address the mind," says Davie. "That class did more for her self-worth than can be imagined because she created something and it took her mind off what was wrong with her.

"The daycare at the hospice is worth its weight in gold, patients forget their problems for a while as they're with people who are the same as them."

He adds: "Each time she came it gave both of us a chance to catch our breath and prepare for the next day.

"I used to go and pick her up and there was always a smile on her face."

A lot of Beatrice's work is still in the art room and some appeared in an exhibition at House for an Art Lover.

"One of her paintings is going in Rhona's office in the new building, I believe," says Davie.

"It's an escape from your illness and what's going on but it lifts your self-esteem. It's a real confidence builder."

The care Beatrice received also extended to Davie, who suffered a heart attack when his wife was receiving treatment.

He says, quite simply, that he couldn't have coped without the help of hospice staff.

"What a lot of people don't realise is that the hospice isn't just for the patient, it also supports the carers - and in a much bigger way that you would think," says Davie.

"I don't know if I'd have got through it all without the backing of the hospice. It is a fantastic organisation, run by people who genuinely care.

"My heart attack showed me that I couldn't do everything. I'm the type of person who will get on with things myself.

"I've done counselling for years yet I couldn't counsel myself, I couldn't look after myself. I needed the hospice to do that for me and thank God they were here. I couldn't have survived without them."

Davie says that when the time came, both he and Beatrice knew the hospice was the right place.

"Beatrice's final two days were perfect for her, she was at peace," he says. "The consultant and the whole care team were magnificent - I couldn't have asked for better care for her and, looking back, I know that her death was the best it could have been."

The compassion and care shown by the hospice team didn't stop when Beatrice died. It continued, offering counselling to Davie.

"The door has always been open, in fact I don't think they would shut the door on anybody. It helped me because I realised someone understands how I'm feeling," says Davie.

"Once your loved one has passed on that doesn't mean you're finished with the hospice."

Looking to the future, Davie says the plans for the new hospice at Bellahouston Park will greatly improve services for patients and their families.

" I've seen the plans for the new building and they are wonderful - you can see how much more space everyone will have," comments Davie.

" And it's going to be in Bellahouston Park, which Beatrice and I knew so well. There's no other spot in the whole of Glasgow that could possibly be a better place for the new hospice."

He adds: "I'll do whatever I can to support the hospice, because I know how incredible it is to receive their care. I hope everyone in Glasgow will join me and support the hospice too."

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Tomorrow: Outpatients - the greatest expansion in the new building