Former RTÉ broadcaster Charlie Bird has told how he has received hospice care in his Wicklow home in recent months as his motor neurone disease has worsened - making it harder for him to move around without the aid of a walking stick.
He says his wish is to die at home with his family around him and that hospice care teams can help make this happen.
"I want to be very honest, when my time comes, I want to die at home with my family around my bed," he told RTÉ News.
"I never in my wildest dreams thought I would end up getting help from the hospice."
Describing motor neuron disease as a nightmare, he said: "It makes me cry every day. But my voice bank does not pick up my crying."
He said he did not often cover or promote stories about the hospice movement during his 38-year career with RTÉ as chief news correspondent, but added: "Coming to the end of my life, the role that the hospice plays, has been revealed to me."
Speaking at the Powerscourt Estate, Co Wicklow, he was joined by his wife Claire and beloved singing dog Tiger to encourage people around the country to hold a coffee morning on 21 September to help fund hospice care around the country, which has been invaluable to many families, including his own.
He says the staff there provide a brilliant service.
"First of all, the hospice home care team are experienced medical people, but from my perspective, they have a lot of resources which they can call upon," Mr Bird said
"They know for sure the issues surrounding a person who is dying. As I have said I want to die at home surrounded by my family and my understanding is the care teams can help in this area."
'Continue to extend hand of friendship'
He says most people in Ireland know a friend or a family member who passed away in a hospice or a home and he said people should not be afraid to reach out to the hospice movement which provides its services across the country.
He said doing charity work has helped keep him alive in recent times.
"Helping these groups and organisations is helping me to stay alive and I have promised myself while I have a breath in my body, I want to continue to extend the hand of friendship to people in dark places, for people who have a terminal illness like myself," he said.
He said his wife Claire and his dog Tiger have always been by his side during this difficult journey.
'Tiger senses the distress'
"I want to say how crucial Tiger is to my life now," Mr Bird said.
"Tiger picks up when I am distressed. In my dark days now, Tiger senses the distress I'm going through and Claire and I love cuddling him in our bed."
Mr Bird's wife Claire who jokes that dog Tiger is now the star of the show, especially among their social media following, says the hospice has provided so much to them: "They listen and take so much time and care looking after both Charlie's physical and mental needs and also my needs as Charlie's wife and carer.
"They never give up on us and their visits to our home give us hope that this dreadful journey can be made less stressful by letting them into our lives."
Media landscape
Mr Bird, who has tens of thousands of followers on social media, says the media landscape has been changing a lot in recent years.
"Media coverage is changing before our very eyes, but what should not change is the importance of truth in the news," he said.
"I really believe the media industry is good here in this country. And it's really important that public service broadcasting survives.
"I loved my time in Montrose. We know there are changes in broadcasting as the media is changing, but I still believe there is a crucial role in our lives for public service broadcasting.
"I believe healthy competition is necessary not only in broadcasting, but also in the newspaper industry."
'Turn for the worst'
Charlie Bird says he has never sought to hide what is happening to his body and ability to communicate as a result of motor neuron disease and he now speaks with the aid of a voice simulator app.
"Things have taken a turn for the worst," he says.
"My mobility is deteriorating fast now, and it can no longer be certain where I will end up the last phase of my life.
"I may be joining the thousands and thousands of people who for years have been living out of a wheelchair, but I am going to continue to help people. Helping the groups and charities is a great distraction."
Businesses and the public can register to host a coffee morning supporting their local hospice on 21 September or a date that suits them on hospicecoffeemorning.ie or call 0818 995 996.
Together for Hospice
Next month's coffee morning fundraiser is for Together for Hospice, the National Hospice Movement and hopes to raise €2 million this year.
It is hoped the fundraising drive will help to pay for medical and general staff, palliative care beds, home care visits, specialist equipment and new hospice builds.
Geraldine Tracey, interim director of nursing at Our Lady's Hospice and Care Services Wicklow says care at home is an important part of their service, as that is where most people would like to be at the end of their life, if possible.
"It’s a really important part of the care that we deliver and it’s really important that we get that word out there," she says.
She says the service is available for people throughout Ireland, with teams all over the country in every county, even in rural and remote areas.
She says they often link-in with the in-patient units or other services.
"It’s just really important that people know those services are there for them and how to speak to their GPs or to their hospital teams, or to their public health nurses," she says.
She says Irish people are not as good at speaking about death and end of life as they used to be: "I think it is something that we can embrace.
"And this is part of life. And often if we have those conversations beforehand, we make it easier for the people who know, so I think we need to have more of those conversations."
Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning Social for Hospice has raised €43.2million for Together for Hospice, the National Hospice Movement, since its inception in 1992.
