Errol’s wife Sandie recalls when he was first diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in 2012. He had to have surgery to remove a two kilogram tumour from his kidneys, followed by months of chemotherapy. At the time, Errol and Sandie were advised to start looking into palliative care – doctors said there was nothing more they could do. 
Errol and Sandie decided to seek a second opinion, and fortunately found an oncologist that was willing to help them – which was how they found themselves at St John of God Subiaco Hospital.
Over the years that followed, Errol spent a lot of time at Subiaco. He received immunotherapy at the Ivy Suite and spent time in ‘nearly every ward’ at the hospital, according to Sandie. During this time, Errol and Sandie found all of the nurses and caregivers they encountered at the hospital to be lovely.
“Errol and I were so lucky to have met all these people,” Sandie reflected.
Most of all, Sandie remembers their time at Ward 35.
“The doctors and the nurses, everybody there, was so lovely, caring and calm,” Sandie said.
Errol and his family built a strong bond with caregivers on the ward, especially due to Errol’s gregarious nature and love of jokes. Sandie says that seeing friendly faces on the ward was reassuring during difficult times.
“Just seeing a smiling face when we’d come in, or hearing the nurses greet him, ‘Hi Errol!’ – it was just really lovely. They made a hard journey easier.”
Errol was a prolific and talented guitarist, and he continued recording and performing music throughout his cancer battle. His final album, Small Window, Large View, was released posthumously, and a launch event organised by his son Sam brought friends, family and collaborators together to celebrate Errol’s life and legacy. The concert was sold out, and Sam and many of Errol’s friends performed songs from the album, taking turns to play Errol’s lead guitar parts.
After their experience at Ward 35, Sam and Sandie decided to give funds from the album launch, as well as donations from loved ones, back to the hospital, to help families like theirs. Knowing firsthand the many, many hours that can be spent at a loved one’s bedside, Sam and Sandie requested that funds be used to purchase comfortable chairs for families to use while sitting with loved ones in hospital for extended periods of time.
We’re so grateful to Sam, Sandie, and all those who knew and loved Errol, for their generous support. Their kindness and compassion will help bring comfort to countless families in their time of need.
