Keith was a keen tenor horn player in the Salvation Army band, where he enjoyed friendship, a sense of purpose, and the joy of making music.
When Keith first began struggling to catch his breath fifteen years ago, he knew something was wrong. As someone who had always pushed himself physically, by running a removal company for 30 years and working at markets, he suddenly had to slow down. Keith was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Then came another blow. In 2017, after noticing problems with his voice, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Surgery to remove part of his vocal cords followed, a cruel twist for someone for whom music played such an important part of life.
Now 80, Keith uses oxygen for up to 14 hours a day. “Some days are better than others,” he says.
During the hot summer of 2025, his breathing worsened, and he became severely dehydrated. His respiratory nurse suggested a 12-week exercise programme at the Tulip Centre, Tapping House.
Keith wasn’t sure what to expect.
What he found instead was encouragement, laughter, and understanding. The first sessions weren’t easy. “I hadn’t done much for a year or more. I always push myself, and they’re forever telling me to slow down,” he smiles. “But I really look forward to it.”
Gradually, something shifted. He grew stronger. He built muscle. He even lost weight. “It helps not just the body, but the mind too,” he says. “I live alone, and it can get lonely, but they’re a lovely group. We support each other.”
When Keith stopped driving, hospice volunteer drivers made sure he could still attend. “You’re not on your own,” he says quietly. “They make sure of that.”
For Keith, the biggest change hasn’t just been physical strength, it’s realising that losing his breath didn’t mean losing everything.
“People think a hospice is only a place you go to die. It really isn’t. It’s so much more than that,” he says. “But you go there for help too. Don’t be frightened, they’ll find a way to help. It’s a wonderful place. More than first class.”