Friday, Aug 06, 2004
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By Richard Savill— Telegraph Group Limited Londown, 2004
LONDON, AUG. 5. In the final weeks of his life, Dr. John Hughes-Games wanted to be able to see the sky and the birds flying past his hospital ward. However, the grimy windows denied him much of that simple pleasure. He became so concerned that others should not be similarly deprived, that he asked his wife, Susan, to ensure that money was made available after his death for the building's windows to be cleaned. Dr. Hughes-Games, a general practitioner in Bristol for 40 years, died two weeks ago, aged 77, after being treated for leukaemia at the city's oncology centre. His family placed a death notice in newspapers informing those who knew him that any donations should be sent to a window cleaning fund for the centre. Ms. Hughes-Games, 51, said her husband was diagnosed with leukaemia in February. Several weeks ago, he became ``quite ill'' and was admitted to the centre, where he was monitored and given transfusions over three weeks. ``When they realised it was not really working they allowed him to come home,'' she said. ``He was at home for a week before he died. ``Whilst he was in hospital he just said, `I would really like to leave some money to have these windows cleaned'.'' Dr. Hughes-Games was at the top of the four-storey building. Ms. Hughes-Games, a biology teacher, said: ``He was able to see the sky, and the clouds and the birds, all of which he loved to look at, but the windows were so grimy that every day looked grey and gloomy. ``They had not been cleaned for some years, I believe. He just wanted people inside to be connected to the outside world.'' The windows could not be opened because leukaemia patients are susceptible to infection, she added.
Praise for treatment
Ms. Hughes-Games, whose husband died four days before their 29th wedding anniversary, stressed that she had nothing but praise for the treatment her husband received at the centre. She said: ``He had such terrific, wonderful care and I hope this fund is a way of giving something back.'' One estimate put the cost of cleaning the 400 windows at the centre at between £700 and £1,000. Ms. Hughes-Games said she was ``pretty confident'' that the sum could be raised. ``The family will make it up if it does not reach that figure,'' she added.
Unusual gesture
``We would like to raise more so we could set up a fund and have them cleaned regularly.'' She said her husband's gesture was unusual but ``it was the kind of thing he would have done." ``I would not say he was an eccentric but he was an original,'' she added. ``He was a terrific enthusiast who was very passionate about lots of things. He was interested in other people. He thought it was a privilege to be allowed into other people's homes in his job, to hear about their lives and to be able to help them.'' Asked if she was surprised by the state of the unit's windows, she said: ``It is difficult. I imagine it is low down on their list of priorities.'' She added that the centre was very light inside. The dirty state of the windows was, however, apparent from the outside. Dr. David Spence, clinical director at the United Bristol Healthcare Trust, which runs the oncology unit, said of Dr. Hughes-Games: ``He was quite a spontaneous guy. ``One day he said, `I'm going to set up a fund to have these windows cleaned', and absolutely true to form he is having it done.'' The trust said in a statement that Dr. Hughes-Games ``was a larger than life character and had a great rapport with staff at the oncology centre." A spokesman said the trust would discuss with Ms. Hughes-Games how to take the plan forward.
Special equipment
He added that the trust had several large old buildings that required special equipment for window cleaners to operate safely which meant costs had become ``prohibitively expensive." He said: ``The inside of the windows are regularly cleaned and we clean windows whenever we carry out maintenance work.'' He was unable to say how regularly the outsides were cleaned.
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