My husband received hospice care while a patient at Mill Pond Health Care Campus. He had a cancer we didn't know about until it was too late, plus some other problems which made his life miserable. Hospice eased the pain and gave him a better quality of life - and added a couple of days to that life so he didn't die on his granddaughter’s birthday. THANK YOU HOSPICE! 

Both of my parents had serious illnesses that put them into Intensive Care, and eventually led to their deaths. Having their advance directives in hand and in our memories saved my brother and I from having to ask each other, "What would Mom want?" "What would Dad want?" While their deaths still hurt, we knew that we had worked with the medical staff to give them the care that they wanted. I want other people to have the peace that we had.

I have a passion for providing timely and appropriate hospice care. My first experience with a prolonged death took place when I was 19 years old. My grandfather was suffering with can-cer. Even though he was receiving home health services, they never offered hospice. His family physician provided morphine in the end days, but there was no family support from a chaplain or social worker. There was no explanation of what to expect. He was able to pass at home, which was a gift. Now as Administrator of Summerfield Healthcare Facility in Cloverdale, I have the privilege of watching hospice help grant dreams and wishes before it's too late. Helping people accept and be educated on what is to come is one of the most comforting and powerful services hospices can provide. I believe education is the key; we must eliminate the stigma that hospice hastens death.

In losing both parents, I’ve experienced what it’s like to have to imagine what your loved one “might” want. Both of my parents had completed living wills, but the contents and location of the documents were not communicated, leaving my brother and I to do a lot of guesswork on their behalf. I don’t want anyone to have to experience the discomfort of having to make those uncertain decisions for someone they hold so dear. We also had the experience of losing Mom without hospice care and then having hospice care for Dad. After Dad was gone, I think we dealt with the loss in healthier, more productive ways. While there are multiple reasons for that fact, I think the comfort and closure of hospice care was a major factor. I believe in hos-pice care and think others should too. We’re all going to leave this world someday. We might as well take the steps necessary to ensure we do it with some dignity and comfort.

I'm all about awareness. Life is filled with ups and downs; there are times of complete chaos from personal and family problems, and times of complete joy when celebrating accomplish-ments, births etc. Our one guarantee is that someday we all will be called home - our time is lim-ited here on earth. Unfortunately, our fast-paced lives tend to blind us from that. It is so helpful for people to be prepared or to have something in place when they are faced with the hardest news. The feeling of being completely lost as to what to do when faced with limited time is very hard. Time is of the essence, and it’s something we will never get back. Being prepared for death, and facing the reality of whatever comes your way is one of the greatest gifts you can give your family. I want to be a part of increasing awareness in society about the importance of pre-paring. Helping to change this – even just a little bit - is worth a lot.