3 Christmas ANGELS

These women give up their time to take care of those who need it

- KATE CHAPMAN

'Spending Christmas on the ward is a privilege'

Helen Burns, 52, a Marie Curie ward sister, lives in Liverpool with her husband Neil, 54, and their son Joshua, 23. I love working at the hospice; it's such a privilege for me to look after my patients and their families, and to be part of their Christmas, when we sometimes know it's going to be their last.

Christmas is a magical time on the ward it stays with you forever, it's not sad. We try to make it as special as we can, and give patients and their families some normality.

Before COVID hit, carol singers came onto the ward and everyone joined in, although last year we played songs on a CD player instead.

We decorate the ward; each patient has a little tree of their own in their room or twinkling lights, and staff wear festive-decorated scrubs.

Our night staff sneak a gift into each patient's room, like Father Christmas, so it's the first thing they see on waking up.

We get the patients ready for their visitors, some of whom stay and have their breakfast and a turkey dinner with us on specially laid tables in the nurses' bays. We take lots of photos of families together in their party hats as they celebrate and make memories.

My children are grown up, but they're used to me working on Christmas Day - I've done the past three. We open our presents when I get home from work and video call my daughter Erin, who lives in Manchester. Then we have our Christmas Day on Boxing Day.

The Marie Curie ethos is that every patient deserves a good death; people don't want to think about death at Christmas, but we do have patients who are really poorly and we're here to support families through the worst time, while everyone else is celebrating.