Page 36 - The Gazette Autumn 2023

36 The Gazette QARANC Association
From heartbreak comes happiness: Joan and Mike’s story
Broughton House has cared for more than 8,000 veterans since it opened its doors to the ex- service community in 1916. The care village in Salford is currently welcoming an average of two new residents a month, including retired QA nurse Joan Keoghan.
Joan and Mike met at the NAAFI Club in Aldershot during an evening out in the early 1960s while Mike was serving in the Parachute Regiment and Joan was a trainee nurse in the QARANC, based at the Colchester Military Hospital.
Mike was later posted to Bahrain and Joan to Libya. The couple married in Joan’s native Penshaw in Co Durham in 1965, shortly after she was discharged from service.
Mike continued to serve in the army, for 12 years, on tours of duty in Bahrain, Aden, British Guyana and Malta and training in a number of other countries, including Australia, Malaya, Singapore and Cyprus.
After he was discharged, the couple lived and worked in Dubai for 14 years. Joan was employed by the police as a driving instructor for women. Mike worked as a senior offshore field medic for Dubai Petroleum, rising to senior training and safety roles in Dubai.
The couple returned permanently to the UK in 1988 when Mike got a job with BP as an offshore safety officer for a new North Sea gas field. He later left the oil industry to spend 15 years as a prison officer before retiring in 2004 at the age of 60.
Joan worked as a social welfare officer and care team leader until she retired at the same time as Mike. The couple loved to travel – after retiring, they spent eight years living in Queensland, and they have visited many countries.
“We absolutely loved travelling and seeing interesting new places. Over the years we’ve been all over, including trips to South America, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Hawaii and even the Khyber Pass in Pakistan,” said Mike.
Nowadays, their trips are limited to local places of interest, but the joy of being in the company of the love of his life never wanes for Mike, despite Joan being diagnosed with dementia six years ago.
Joan, who is now 77, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017 and Mike, 78, became her carer at their home in Mobberley. He looked after her for four years, even after his own surgery for several issues, including a heart operation.
Then, one day, daughter Julie – one of the couple’s three children – spotted what she thought may be a melanoma on Mike’s nose during a FaceTime call with him from her home in Australia.
A friend of Mike’s had seen an advertisement for Broughton House in a magazine and passed it on to him. The family thought it would be a suitable place for Joan to go for respite care while Mike underwent surgery to remove the melanoma.
Joan spent six weeks there, and the family were so pleased with the care she received that they decided
There’s
a great sense of camaraderie and the new building is excellent. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff.
she should move in permanently, which she did in April 2021.
Mike said: “It was a very hard decision to let her move into full-time care. We were married in August 1965 and had such a wonderful life together, raising three children and then welcoming the arrival of five grandchildren and two great-grandsons.
“I was in tears at night, wondering whether I’d done the right thing. But, as we are both service veterans, I knew it was the right place for Joan. I cannot speak highly enough of the place – the staff, the management, the activities and the facilities – they are all amazing.
“There’s a great sense of camaraderie and the new building is excellent. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff.”
Mike has become a registered volunteer at Broughton House, which allows him to spend lots of time there and accompany Joan and other residents on outings in the home’s minibus.
At Broughton House, he makes tea for the residents and helps to feed those who need assistance. Spending lots of time at Broughton House “helps me overcome the loneliness of being at home without Joan,” says Mike.
Karen Miller, chief executive of Broughton House, said: “It is an honour and a privilege, for all of us here at Broughton House, to be able to support Mike and Joan. They truly have a remarkable story together and they are an inspiration to everyone they meet.”