COMMUNITY STARS Wick mum Mandy Paine’s best volunteer nomination

AN INSPIRATIONAL mother with a terminal illness has spoken about the pain of her condition and how it has motivated her to improve care for end-of-life patients.

AN INSPIRATIONAL mother with a terminal illness has spoken about the pain of her condition and how it has motivated her to improve care for end-of-life patients.

Mandy Paine, 48, was diagnosed with terminal chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a lung illness which causes acute breathing problems – in 2002, after suffering with chest problems her whole life.

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But rather than let it hold her back, Mandy has actively campaigned to improve the standard of treatment and care given to end-of-life patients by speaking on behalf of the National Council for Palliative Care, a London-based organisation which promotes the use of palliative care in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Among the speeches she has given are those she has delivered to the House of Lords in front of leading medical experts, doctors and members of parliament.

The mother-of-two has managed to do this despite being on breathing support for 24 hours a day, using a nebuliser every four hours and caring for a son with Asperger’s syndrome.

She has been nominated for a Herald and Gazette’s Community Stars Award in the Best Volunteer category by Alice Fuller, of the National Council for Palliative Care.

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Mandy, of Selwyn Avenue, Wick, said: “I feel blown away by the nomination and really grateful for them for doing it but there’s a lot of people who do things as well.

“I do the things I do because I want to make a difference, but I also want to show other people that although you’re ill you don’t have to throw the towel in.”

Mandy’s condition has worsened over the last eight years, which has caused her to volunteer less than she used to, but she remains connected to the palliative care community by using the internet and still attends some of the national council meetings in London.

She is also in the process of writing three books from the perspective of an end-of-life patient.

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“When I can’t sleep at night when I’m in pain, I’ll sit down at my computer and write as much as I can.

“I have to find something positive from my illness, and doing these things is my way of turning a negative into a positive, because when you’re ill, it’s so much better to keep positive and do things like exercise rather than just give up.

“Ultimately, when I eventually pop my clogs, I hope things are better for other people,” she said.

Alice explained why she nominated her.

“Despite being at the end of life, she’s very positive about what she can achieve before she leaves us,” she said.

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“She’s always very happy and smiley when she sees us and is always able to get over the voice of someone who’s nearing the end of their life and not just in the abstract.”

Voting for the Community Stars awards winners begins on Thursday, October 14 when forms are published in the Herald and Gazette series.

All nominees will be invited to the awards ceremony at Worthing Assembly Hall on Thursday, November 14.

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