AUDIO
In 1948, Cicely met David Tasma, a 40-year-old Polish Jewish refugee who had fled the Warsaw Ghetto, at St Thomas' Hospital. He was dying of cancer and felt unfulfilled and that he had done nothing worthwhile in his life.
The two formed a close bond, and Cicely discussed her plans with him to create a home that supported those coming to the end of their lives.
David left her £500, and the prophecy ‘I will be a window in your home’.
His window can be seen in what is now known as the Dame Cicely Saunders Room, originally the entrance to the hospice. Cicely’s Christian faith was incredibly important to her and played a big role in her life and career.
The hospice is named after St Christopher, at the suggestion of Barbara Galton (Mrs G), a patient Cicely had cared for at St Joseph's Hospice. Together, they talked of Cicely's future plans and aspirations, and through this the name 'St Christopher's' was adopted.
You’ll see a concrete sculpture of the Saint by David Tasma’s window, welcoming people to the hospice.
While you're here, take the chance to look at the building as a whole. Designed by Peter Smith, Dame Cicely wanted the hospice to be both homely and comfortable inside, as well as modern and functional. Smith's design reflects this need, with the modernist building in line with Cicely's vision of a 'new English Hospice' that signified a change in the way the dying were treated, and the attitudes around palliative care. The architecture symbolises the advancement of the modern medicine and techniques being used within the building, and one of Smith's key focuses was on natural light pouring in through large windows all around the hospice.
I will be a window in your home
David Tasma
DIRECTIONS
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LISTEN
Dame Cicely Saunders discusses her life and work on Desert Island Discs