My wife, Sue Foster, who has died of a brain tumour aged 65, was an exceptional paediatric nurse who enriched the lives of seriously ill children and their families.
The daughter of Olga and Ray Chilton, Sue was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and educated locally. She qualified as a general nurse from Hull School of Nursing in 1970. After gaining some practical experience, Sue went on to qualify as a sick children’s nurse in 1973. She spent the next decade nursing in the UK and the US, and also worked in clinical trials at the Beecham Research Laboratories, in Harlow, Essex.
In 1984 Sue was appointed night sister at Great Ormond Street hospital, London, initially overseeing eight wards, including the intensive care and neurosurgical units. On promotion to night manager eight months later, Sue had sole responsibility for the hospital on many of her shifts. She was hugely popular with her nursing colleagues, who remember her lovely smile, her sense of fun, and her unconditional commitment to the children and families in her care. Beyond the uniform, Sue enjoyed books, holidays in the outdoors, music and the performing arts.
In 1987, we married and moved to Hampshire, where for three years Sue managed the British Nursing Association’s Hedge End branch. Returning to the NHS in 1990, Sue worked at the Princess Anne hospital, Southampton, and, later, at Southampton General, where her wide responsibilities included ward management and teaching roles.
The new millennium brought a move to the respected children’s hospice Naomi House, in Winchester. Sue immersed herself in caring for terminally ill children and their families, and played a significant role in the Association of Children’s Hospices. She also joined the RCN Paediatric Palliative Care Forum steering group.
As retirement beckoned, Sue began voluntary work for a local child bereavement charity and completed a counselling course with the charity Cruse Bereavement Care. This work was cut short when, a few weeks after retiring in spring 2011, Sue was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour.
Sue never complained, but after surgery she defied her 12-month prognosis to spend two years happily ticking off many of her ambitions. She remodelled her beloved garden, and fulfilled her dream of visiting the Camargue, France. We cruised to Madeira and the Canary Islands, and saw Sue’s hero Russell Watson at the Royal Albert Hall.
The return of her tumour in early 2013 enforced a move into nursing care, where Sue spent the last months of her life.
Sue’s father died in 1999. She is survived by her mother, her brother, Pete, and me.
