by the numbers - Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care

REal pEOplE, REal StORIES
A
petite woman in her late 40’s, Janet lay in her
hospital room propped uncomfortably against
the stiff pillows on her bed. She was breathing with
difficulty even though oxygen flowed quietly through the
tubes in her nose. Janet’s appearance
contradicted the fact that her lung
cancer had progressed significantly and
there was nothing more her doctors
could offer in terms of treatment. As
one of her doctor’s entered the room,
Janet held back tears when asked how
she was feeling. “I want to go home...
see my garden. I hate being in the
hospital,” she said. Her doctor agreed
and following a brief check of her vitals,
discussed her options for hospice care
and invited a liaison from Visiting
Nurse & Hospice Care to stop by for an
orientation and evaluation.
The very idea of hospice and its association with dying
went against Janet’s stubborn conviction and fear of
accepting defeat. However, as she listened to the VNHC
liaison explain the many benefits of hospice – the comfort,
“As her health declined, Janet
began to accept that she was
dying, but she did not stop her
courageous fight to live.”
symptom relief and quality of care she would receive –
Janet finally agreed she had nothing to lose. The thought
of being in her garden, not having to return to the hospital
and of the compassionate assistance she would be getting
from the hospice team provided great comfort and relief to
both her and her husband.
Janet’s hospital bed was placed before a large window
looking out at a flowering pink hibiscus with birds singing
on branches hovering delicately over the garden below.
With the help of the VNHC hospice team, she received a
doctor-supervised medical regimen set
up to manage symptoms while a social
worker helped Janet and her husband
find acceptance and express feelings
they may not have been able to convey
to each other otherwise. A chaplain
read her poetry and one of the hospice
volunteers started providing massages to
help her relax.
As her health declined, Janet began
to accept that she was dying, but she
did not stop her courageous fight to
live. One of Janet’s final wishes was to
see the sunset one more time. On a
balmy fall evening, her husband and
the hospice chaplain carried her to the car, oxygen tank in
tow, and drove to Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara.
As the glowing sun met the horizon, the three held hands
and watched as Janet breathed in one last sunset. Just
off shore, a family of dolphins surfaced as if to say their
own goodbye. She couldn’t giggle, but she squeezed her
husband’s hand and in that near perfect moment, Janet
knew the time had come to say goodbye.
Shortly after her visit to Butterfly Beach, Janet passed away
peacefully in the comfort of her own home. Her husband
said she had become so tiny at the end that she had to
use every last molecule of her energy just to take a breath.
Janet’s determination to enjoy and appreciate her life was
an inspiration to each person who cared for her. And with
the support she received from her family and VNHC staff,
Janet was able to enjoy her final days with dignity and
comfort among people she loved.