Taff Cheeseman sat quietly next to her husband in his hospital room at South Shore Regional Hospital.
Her husband, Rick, had been admitted in August this year after being diagnosed with terminal stage 4 rectal cancer in 2017.
She held his hand tightly while he rested, the same as she had done the night before, and the night before that, wishing she could climb in bed and comfort him.
However, Rick’s hospital bed wasn’t big enough for two people.
Out of frustration, Cheeseman began researching palliative care methods, which is where she first discovered the cuddle bed.
Without a dedicated palliative care unit though, the SSRH unfortunately didn’t have one.
“I was determined from that point on that I was going to make sure our hospital had a cuddle bed,” she said.
Cheeseman decided to take matters into her own hands and started the fundraising campaign Cuddles From Rick to raise the money needed for the purchase of a cuddle bed for the SSRH.
The bed allows families to share those final moments with their loved ones in a more intimate and connected way, something Cheeseman said she wished she had from the beginning.
“If we had the bed in the beginning, I think I wouldn’t have felt like I wasted that time just sitting there holding his hand,” she said, tearing up.
“Actually being able to lay in bed and hold him as he’s going through so much himself. If we had the bed in the beginning, we would have felt more connected.”
The hospital did eventually find Rick a bariatric bed, which although still not made for two people, was big enough to allow Cheeseman to cuddle into the side of her husband, holding him until those last few moments.
Rick unfortunately passed away a couple weeks later.
However, being able to hold him and comfort him in his time of need made all the difference to Cheeseman, something she said other families in a similar situation deserve.
She has set a goal of just over $22,000 for Cuddles From Rick, which is the price she was given from the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore to purchase the bed.
She hopes to reach the goal by the first anniversary of her husband’s passing.
The fundraiser has reached over $6,000 by way of draws, donations, and handmade crafts created by Cheeseman herself. One such craft called ‘Hug in a Mug’ is named after her husband’s tendency to hug others.
A Hug in a Mug is one of the many ways Cheeseman is trying to raise the money needed to purchase the cuddle bed. Photo: Cuddles From Rick FB Page.
“He definitely loved hugs, and anyone who ever got a hug from Rick would understand what this hug in a mug meant,” she said.
The mug, decorated with a custom Cuddles From Rick logo, costs $10 and comes with a hot chocolate bomb in it, made with either chocolate or white chocolate.
The fundraiser has also found national attention, catching the eye of a former Bridgewater resident who has offered to match donations up to $10,000.
Cheeseman said she keeps the Cuddles From Rick Facebook page updated regularly with information on how to donate, how much has been raised, and the different fundraising methods she is trying out.
She’s hopeful the bed, when purchased, will be a game changer for palliative care in Bridgewater and the South Shore.
“It’s not just affecting the person that needs the bed in the hospital, it affects their whole family,” said Cheeseman.
“Not just their spouse, but their children as well. My children loved nothing more than to just lay down in bed next to their dad.”
Follow Cody McEachern on Twitter at @CodyInHiFi for more.
