Andrea Bocelli makes patient's dream come true

World renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli has made a dream come true for a St Richard’s Hospice patient. Mrs Susan Taylor, from Broadheath, is a long admirer of the mellow and powerful tones of the Italian singer who became permanently blind at the age of 12 following a football accident. He has sold more than 70million records worldwide. Thanks to her family and hospice staff, Mrs Taylor’s dream to meet the singer will come true on Saturday when she sees him in concert at the 02 Arena in London and meets the star backstage in the interval. Mrs Taylor, 74, had already been overwhelmed to receive a personal letter from Mr Bocelli while being cared for at the hospice. He wrote, “Along with a big embrace, kind Susan, please accept my encouragement to rejoice always, and to make plans in spite of illness and to enjoy the miracle of life, looking for serenity and intensity in every single moment of your day. And if you decide to accompany it once again with my voice, I will feel really honoured.” Mrs Taylor said, “I just burst into tears when I received his letter – I was elated and amazed. I cannot believe that he took the trouble to write to me, personally. This really means everything to me as I have adored his voice since he first became known to me. As Celine Dion said, if you can sit and imagine what God’s voice would sound like, this is it. His music filled my house with joy and emotion as it now does at St Richard’s Hospice. “ In his letter Mr Bocelli  said he dedicated his song The Prayer to Mrs Taylor as one of the songs that always moves him every time he sings it. Mrs Taylor said, “His suggested song of The Prayer could not be more perfect and it will be the final song at my funeral service.” She added that Mr Bocelli’s wonderful letter and music has lifted her spirits and she was overjoyed at the thought of meeting him at the weekend. St Richard’s Hospice Fundraising Director Tricia Cavell said, “When I heard Susan was such a huge fan of Andrea Bocelli and wanted to meet him, we did all we could to make it happen. We are incredibly grateful to Mr Bocelli and his team for being so thoughtful and generous in giving Susan and her family memories to treasure.” Mrs Taylor will travel to the concert in London with her husband Edd and daughter Lucie. St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,500 patients and family members in Worcestershire with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 17-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers. In the In-patient Unit, specialist staff are on hand 24 hours a day to manage patients’ symptoms and where, if appropriate, patients may spend the last few days of life in comfort and dignity. St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it to continue its work.      

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