“Coming here is like coming home”

Naina Shah explains how St Luke’s Hospice helped her husband Vipul extend his life through care and compassion.

One year after her husband Vipul died, Naina Shah returned to St Luke’s Hospice with her daughter, Sushree-Diya.

This time, she wasn’t coming for an appointment or treatment. She came to say thank you.

They marked the anniversary quietly, bringing pizza for the staff as a simple way of showing their appreciation.

For Naina, it was about remembering what St Luke’s had meant to her family, not just at the end, but during the months when Vipul was supported to live as well as possible.

“Coming here is like coming home,” Naina says. “It’s like seeing family.”

Vipul first began attending St Luke’s in 2023 after being diagnosed with heart failure. He and Naina had lived in Stanmore and Edgware for 40 years, and St Luke’s was part of the community they
had long known.

Over the next 18 months, Vipul came regularly for outpatient care, including procedures to drain fluid and help manage his condition.

Without hesitation, Naina is clear about what that care meant.

“I know in my heart of hearts that only because of St Luke’s, he got that extended life.”

This care helped Vipul keep going. It gave him more time, more comfort and more moments with the people he loved.

“He came here to live,” Naina says. “He didn’t die here. Here is where he was given life.”

Looking back, what stays with the family most is how they were treated.

“We never felt rushed. He wasn’t just a number or just a patient. Everybody is just kind and welcoming – from the consultant to the cleaner.”

Her daughter, Sushree-Diya, agrees: “We’ve seen hospitals, care homes and clinics, but we never felt anywhere else how we felt here. He wasn’t just a number or just a patient.”

It was the kindness, the care and the small details that made the difference.

“Just the compassion, the understanding,” Naina says. “This place gives you so much love and support.”

Practical things mattered to Naina too. Knowing she could eat from our hospice kitchen. Knowing she didn’t have to worry. Knowing her husband was comfortable and cared for.

“When Vipul was here, I had peace of mind.”

A year on, Naina and her daughter return not with sadness, but with gratitude.

“We are very, very grateful,” Naina says. “Deeply grateful.”

And if there is one thing the family want people to understand, it is this: “It’s not people passing through with medicine. It’s people helping people.”

Stories like Vipul’s are only possible because of the kindness and generosity of our community.

If you are able to help, please consider donating to St Luke’s in Harrow and Brent today.