Hilary Neville first joined the Irish Cancer Society, almost three decades ago. “I have been working as a night nurse with the Irish Cancer Society for the last 27 years. It’s a very special job.”

“My work consists of working in homes of patients in the last days and weeks of their lives. I am there to ensure that the patient is pain-free and to offer reassurance that other end of life symptoms are controlled and managed. It allows family members and carers to get some sleep and emotional support at a difficult time.”

Hilary joined the Irish Cancer Society after a brief spell away from nursing. “We had started a family, and I was looking to get back into nursing. The flexibility on offer from the Irish Cancer Society suited me to work around the needs of my young family. The night shift hours of 11pm-7am worked for us and gave me the opportunity to rejoin the workforce and put my skills to use. Gradually, as my family grew older I was able to give more time to the organisation and I have been able to assist with onboarding new members of the team and doing some media bits highlighting our work as Night Nurses.”

“It is hard to identify what my favourite part of my work is. I really enjoy my work. I look forward to meeting my new patients and their families and listening to their stories. Everybody has a story to tell, and I really enjoy hearing about their lives before diagnosis and then how they coped with their diagnosis and treatment. The most difficult part is witnessing people’s sorrow and distress as they prepare to say goodbye to a loved one.”

For Hilary, she knows her work makes a difference. “It is very humbling to have people tell you that your presence in their home has given them great support and relief. We are involved in some very special conversations with patients and families at a difficult time in their lives, and knowing we have made somebody physically comfortable and emotionally supported them and their family is very satisfying, professionally and personally.”

“If I were speaking to somebody who has never heard of us before, I would tell them we are a charity that is so well supported by the Irish people and we provide a wide range of services to people with cancer, regardless of who they are, where they live or what their financial status is.”

“I won’t stop doing the job that I love to the best of my ability for as long as I can.”