DEATH is one of the few remaining taboos in our society.

Understandably it is a subject that most prefer not to talk about and although things are improving, it is still an issue that is shrouded in mystery and fear.

So it is a relief to know that help is at hand for people in their darkest moments.

For families confronted with the prospect of the death of a loved one, the calming presence of a Marie Curie nurse can provide an invaluable fund of experience, compassion and practical help for those charting unknown and frightening territory.

Kathleen Eggleton is one of a special breed of Marie Curie nurses who regularly bring comfort to the dying and was recently featured in a Channel 4 programme 'Death' which looked at terminal care.

Mrs Eggleton, from Lower Bluns-don, has been a Marie Curie nurse for 20 years and is one of a team of six who cover Swindon and the outlying villages.

She explained: "Working as a Marie Curie nurse is a labour of love really.

"Patients are usually referred to us by a district nurse if they are considered to have cancer that is no longer curable and the goal changes from cure to comfort.

"You never forget that you are a guest in someone's home and to be present during someone's final moments, to share such a private moment is a privilege.

"It is difficult not to become emotionally involved, because you spend so much time with the patients, so I sometimes come home and have a little cry. But you always know that you have really made a difference and helped to improve things and that is important to me."

She explained that her role involves providing nursing care, often overnight, to give the regular carer a break.

"When I turn up at people's doors, I am almost always welcomed with open arms.

"The fact that we can take over the care means that patients can be cared for in their own homes who might otherwise have to go into a hospice. Part of our role is to provide emotional support for the families of the dying.

"Most people would prefer to be looked after in their own homes in familiar surroundings with their family around them. Marie Curie nurses can help them achieve this."

Mrs Eggleton used to work as a district nurse, but she decided to become a Marie Curie nurse when one of her patients became terminally ill.

"There were no Marie Curie nurses available at the time so I volunteered to stay with the family.

"It was such a rewarding experience that I decided to train as a Marie Curie nurse.

"It is all about providing quality of life."

Marie Curie Cancer Care was formed as an independent charity in 1948 to provide hospice beds for cancer patients.

The organisation was set up by a small group of people following a statement by Winston Churchill who said that there were more casualties from cancer than from the whole of World War Two.

An old NHS hospital in Hampstead became vacant and was taken over by the charity as a hospice.

Today the organisation cares for more than 4,000 patients in the 10 hospice centres in the country.

Marie Curie nurses spend more than a million hours caring for 20,000 patients a year caring for half of all terminal cancer patients.

The organisation is reliant on donations to carry out its valuable work. Just £15 will provide a Marie Curie nurse for one hour and £120 is enough for an overnight shift.

The organisation is currently looking for more nurses to train as Marie Curie nurses as well as volunteers to help with its valuable work.

For more information contact area nursing manager Aldwena Seager on (01884) 703501.