Kate Afsar speaks about her care at Moya Cole Hospice
Kate spoke about making memories with her husband and two children at the hospice shortly before she died
It was the hottest morning of the year; Kate Afsar sat on her bed in her private, air-conditioned room at Moya Cole Hospice, making the most of the time she’s got left.
At the age of 10, Kate was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare, aggressive type of soft tissue sarcoma. It was 1987; Kate was not expected to survive but miraculously was cured.
Kate is now married and has twins aged 12. Due to the nature of her rhabdomyosarcoma, Kate knew she would always be at high risk of developing cancer again in the future.
“In the beginning of 2024, I was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma,” Kate said.
Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is another rare, aggressive type of soft tissue sarcoma.
She was treated for it but was told that it would likely come back. It returned after three months. There was no preventative treatment, and when it came back, she knew it was terminal.
I couldn't have the first line of treatment because I received it in childhood. They put me on the second line of treatment, and it didn't work. The third line of treatment worked for me, despite it not working for the majority of people. I was lucky Kate Afsar, Moya Cole Hospice Supporter
The third line of treatment kept Kate stable for a long time, and she had a really good quality of life on it.
“I carried on with that treatment until I had major heart failure in 2025. If I didn’t have cancer, I’d have been on the heart transplant waiting list.
“I took a gamble; I went back on my treatment. It risked my heart.”
When Kate went back on her treatment, she found out that it was no longer working. A few weeks ago, she had an acute incident in her own home.
“The metastasis broke through my diaphragm. The ambulance tried to stabilise me for four hours. They took me to Wythenshawe Hospital. They thought I’d die in 24 hours. Once I was stable, I knew there was no more chemo I could do. I asked if I could be moved to Moya Cole Hospice.”
Since being admitted to the hospice, Kate says her mood has completely shifted. Her focus now lies with her two children and her husband, whom she is spending as much time as possible to create memories with them.
My daughter didn't like visiting me in the hospital, the busyness, the noises; it scared her. She is always so happy to come here and see me; they don't see it as a clinical place Kate Afsar, Moya Cole Hospice Supporter
“My husband can sleep here in the room with me; I’ve got my own garden area with lots of space. My son thinks the place is amazing.
“I’ve been on a long road. I’ve accepted that my treatment is over. I’ve had a long period of time to come to terms with everything. The hospice are now putting my needs first, I want to be comfortable from here on out.”
Kate has been at Moya Cole Hospice for two weeks and says there are four activities she has taken part in with her family that stand out to her.
“The first thing we did was on the Saturday, we held a movie night in the family lounge. The kids loved it; they loved the sparkly lights. We chose a film and ordered Domino’s Pizza. They were given ice cream and all sorts of snacks afterwards.
“On the Monday, it was my birthday, we had a party lunch brought in, my friend dropped off a cake. We had a celebration.
“We had a spa afternoon with my daughter. The complementary therapy team, particularly Gwyneth, created a spa room in the Being You Centre. My daughter had a facial and she had her nails painted her favourite colour. I had a reflexology massage. The hospice provided snacks. My daughter got given a brand-new make-up bag, filled with all sorts of samples and lip balms.
I also had one to one with my son. We played board games. They gave us some Lebanese flatbreads which my son loves. We played our board games, nice and simple ones I was able to cope with Kate Afsar, Moya Cole Hospice Supporter
In November 2025, Kate visited Moya Cole Hospice in Heald Green for the first time in the now former facility on St Ann’s Road North. She knew from the interaction she had with nurses and staff that palliative care was something she wanted down the line.
“It seemed like choosing to come here was making a good choice for my end-of-life care. As I have two small children, I didn’t want to die at home, that’s supposed to be their happy place. My husband also has to work, and it would be hard to manage them at home, and he’d have to be my carer. I did not want to die in hospital, that was a red line for me.
“I started coming to the Being You Centre when the new facility opened in May and it further made clear that choosing to die here was making the right decision. When I saw my room for the first time, I was just so relaxed.”
While Kate is an in-patient, she remains focused on making the most out of each and every day, and spending time with her family.
Kate died on Saturday, July 4th, 2026, in the care of Moya Cole Hospice. The hospice provided Kate with much needed space to create lasting memories with her husband, and her two children. May she Rest in Peace.