‘I still cry now’ – Widow helps fund cuddle bed

A woman has raised thousands of pounds for a hospital cuddle bed after being unable to fulfil her terminally ill husband’s final wish to “lie with me”.

Denise Byas from Kilham, East Yorkshire started fundraising shortly after her husband Richard passed away in Scarborough Hospital.

Having lost his voice towards the end of his illness, Mr Byas’s last request of his wife was to lie next to him, but this was not possible with a standard hospital bed.

Mrs Byas has raised £7,000 towards a cuddle bed for the North Yorkshire hospital so other people don’t encounter the same situation.

“I still cry about it now,” Mrs Byas said.

“I feel it’s the one thing I couldn’t do for my husband. It’s a personal thing. You want to be able to hold your loved one.

“To be able to give that comfort in end of life is an amazing thing for both parties, the one that is passing away and the one that’s losing.”

Scarborough Hospital was already fundraising for a cuddle bed so, when they combined their money with that raised by Mrs Byas, they had the £15,000 needed.

The hospital is continuing to fundraise for privacy screens that will go around the bed. They will be decorated with autumn leaves to show someone is at the end of life.

Mrs Byas said she was grateful to the people who helped her raise the money.

“The first thing I could do is donate the collection from my husband’s funeral,” she said.

“I then sold some of his items and I was given advice to open a Just Giving page.

“I explained about my husband and what happened, but also how it could happen to anyone.

“All of a sudden we collected £7,000.”

Emma Sargent, fundraising manager at York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity, said: “This forms part of the Trust’s Autumn Room Project, which aims to create compassionate spaces for patients nearing the end of life.

“Cuddle beds allow loved ones to lie beside one another, sharing warmth, comfort, and connection when words are no longer enough.

“York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity is proud to support the Autumn Project and we are deeply grateful to Denise for her incredible fundraising and heartfelt dedication.

“This contribution is a beautiful tribute to the memory of her much-loved husband.”