Ballykelly family grateful for "angels on earth" at Foyle Hospice

A Ballykelly woman is sharing her gratitude for the Foyle Hospice, where "amazing care" helped her late father "enjoy food again" in his final weeks.

According to Tina King, she felt helpless when her father, Peter Brolly, took a turn for the worst, following numerous trips to A&E and hospital admissions. 

Tina explained: “We were recommended by the GP to contact Foyle Hospice. To our amazement, the Community Nurse, Pamela, was out within an hour of Daddy being referred.

To us, that was out of this world, we’ve never seen anything like that. Pamela was amazing. Nothing was too much trouble and she put us at ease going in there.”

Tina described her much-loved father Peter, (or `Big Red’ as he was known) as a ‘gentle giant’ who did so much for the local community.

Peter along with his 3 great grandchildren at Foyle Hospice

Peter worked in Dupont before becoming an on-site labourer. Tina continued: “He always worked hard and he would have done anything for anybody. He had a lot of good friends and he was very well respected.”

From the moment, Tina’s father entered Foyle Hospice, the family knew they had made the right decision. Tina continued: “I remember Daddy saying to us, ‘This place is alright you know, it’s not what I expected!’ It was very comforting to see him with a genuine smile for a change.

“He just loved looking out at the gardens telling us that it was an even better view than he had at home and everyone would wave into him going past. He just loved chatting to everyone and hearing their story. He loved telling them his own stories and everybody wanted to listen to him and he just loved it, like a wee family away from family.”

Tina continued: “The biggest memory our entire family take from this, is seeing Daddy enjoy food for a change because he didn’t eat at home. When Daddy took sick with COPD and bronchitis, eating became a chore. He hated every bite he put into his mouth and seen it as something to help him take his medication.y

“However, after a couple of days in Foyle Hospice, he couldn’t wait to see who was coming through that door with his dinner. He cleaned his plate every day and every meal was amazing, home-made fresh food, made with love.

Tina pictured with father Peter on her wedding day

“Chef Bill had asked him what his favourite foods were and tailored his meals to what he enjoyed. Daddy was a plain eater but by the time he had passed, he was trying everything. “Daddy never had watermelon before in his life but it ended up being something he loved to eat every day. It meant a lot to us as a family.”

On June 8 2025, Peter died peacefully at Foyle Hospice, after spending 7 weeks as an inpatient.

Tina continued: “Foyle Hospice has been a life-saver to us – there was no way we could have managed daddy’s health at home. He would have suffered and he would have died a lot earlier than he did.

"It would have been a terrible death but everyone at Foyle Hospice just made everything perfect, there is nowhere else like this which offers the care he received there.

“Seeing my Daddy pass in peaceful, loving, beautiful surroundings, made it so much easier for us as a family. Foyle Hospice prepared us for his death and we were happy for Daddy because he was so peaceful. 

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Tina noted that the care extended not only to her father, but to the entire family as well saying: “They didn’t just check on Daddy, I had nurses and doctors phoning me on the weeks beforehand, asking if I’m alright – I’ve never experienced that, caring about the family, not just the patient and that’s not something you get in a hospital setting.

"That’s beyond special, they are angels on earth, every single person who came in that door showed love for us and for my dad. We love and appreciate every single person in Foyle Hospice.”

Tina concluded: “Without the hospice, I don’t know what people in this area would do, it would be the most horrendous thing. It just can’t disappear because so many people need it. It really is a life-saver. And not just for the patient, but for the family as well.

“Watching someone you love getting sick and feeling there’s nothing you can do is awful, but in Foyle Hospice, yes, your loved one is sick but they’re not deteriorating as much. It’s not painful and it’s not distressing which is the most important thing. The patients are made to feel comfortable and at peace which is what anybody wants in the end.”