Literature Review

Bringing Penelope home The Chronicle of The Horse; by Sarah K. Susa; 10/1/2024 Angie was 35 when she, her husband, and son moved into their first home. It was red brick with a big picture window and a pasture out front where their horses could graze. It was almost a dream come true. Almost, because Angie was dying. The lump she’d found just two years earlier had metastasized, multiple times. In the beginning doctors cut off both breasts, hoping to take the cancer with them. But the disease was stealthy, hiding somewhere inside, then popping up here and there: liver, lymph nodes, spine, brain. She was pumped full of chemo. Blasted with radiation. Time and again, surgeons opened her up, removing any fragments of the disease that they could. Then they’d stitch her back together, hoping to buy her more time. But eventually, Angie was told, there was nothing more to do. Hospice was called. A hospital bed in Angie’s new living room allowed her to watch the horses graze from the picture window, her favorite feature of the house. Her son, just 5, would perch on the window’s deep sill, quietly building Legos and trying to process what was happening around him. And it was all happening so fast. 

I asked my dad to write my wedding speech after he was given 6 months to live. I'm holding on to it for my special day. AOL.com - Insider; by Lara Rodwell; 9/29/24 ... I remember the moment my dad told me he had six months to live like it was yesterday. ... "Lar, we need to have a chat," he said, hovering beside the edge of the bed. "I've received some news. It's not good." ... Wrapped in the comforting arms of my dad, I blurted, "Dad, you're not going to walk me down the aisle one day." ... During one sleepless night, it hit me. I wanted to create a keepsake where my dad and I could write letters, share memories and process our feelings, together. I found a tatty old notebook and wrote my first letter to him. ... The very first thing I asked him at the end of the letter, ink smudged with tears, was if he could write his wedding speech for me. ... It was a hot summer's morning, the day my dad died in the care of our local hospice. He'd been there for three weeks — in a lot of pain, stabilized by a lot of morphine — surrounded by his family. .... Later that day, ... amongst pages of financial practicalities and funeral wishes, there was a folder of white envelopes addressed to each of us - his wife and four children. On the front of mine read "Lar...". On the back: "Your wedding speech." To this day, the envelope remains sealed, tucked away at the bottom of my "dad box" — along with the notebook we shared, photo albums of memories, and a collection of swimming medals he wanted me to show his grandkids one day. ...

89-year-old SoCal hospice patient wished he could skydive again, so his care team made it happen ABC-7 Los Angeles, CA; by Leticia Juarez; 9/27/24 Gary Patmor has lived a life of adventure and at 89 years old, the retired aerospace engineer is showing age doesn't mean adventures have to end. So he chose to go skydiving. "Oh, it is just fun exciting," he said. While he is a man of few words, Patmor is a man with plenty of stories he could tell. He's logged more than 1,300 jumps out of civilian, military, antique and experimental aircrafts. ... He survived 38 malfunctioning parachutes and he even doubled for Steve McQueen on film.  ... His backstory has been an incredible journey he has shared with others. "He was actually also the first person to mount a Sony camera and jump out of a plane," said Jocelyn Brito, a social worker for Suncrest Hospice in Riverside where Patmor is now a patient. ... "One of the things that he wanted to do was he wanted to skydive again," said Jessica Fields with Suncrest Hospice. "So we had to make sure that we got the doctor clearance, of course, and then the skydiving company to be able to consent to that before we offered it." On Friday afternoon, Patmor boarded a plane at Sky Dive Elsinore, making him the  oldest skydiver of the day. At 13,000 feet, he took a leap, strapped to an instructor and made his descent to the ground where his wife and Suncrest Hospice staff members cheered him on.

Celebrate patients’ creativity ehospice; by Fair Havens Hospice, United Kingdom; 9/23/24 Fair Havens hospice recently held an inspiring art exhibition to showcase patients’ artwork produced during a range of wellbeing sessions. The exhibition at Fair Havens hospice in Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, showcased over 30 pieces of artwork, including acrylics and watercolours to embroidery and creative writing, all created by patients living with incurable illnesses. There was also the opportunity for people to get creative and take part in activities such as pebble painting and memory box decorating. The artwork on show had all been created by adults supported by the hospices’ Wellbeing Team through various creative therapy workshops and one-to-one sessions. ... Amongst some of the artwork were collages created in the ‘I AM’ workshop, which aimed to provide a space for patients to reflect on the things that are most important to them and express this using colour, textures, and words.

Improv for Caregivers receives a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts EINPressWire; by A. A. Cristi; 9/23/24 The New London Barn Playhouse received an arts in health grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts to continue and expand their Improv for Caregivers program through a larger umbrella program titled “Improv for a Cause.” “Improv for a Cause” will encompass two communication programs that use a similar process to reach different communities. The first, Improv for Caregivers, in partnership with Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice, is an ongoing communication workshop series for those who care for loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer's. ... Each improv workshop session combines insight from healthcare professionals with improvisational theatre techniques, with a goal of developing new communication skills, strategies to cope with stress, flexibility in relationships, and an understanding of loved ones' changing perspectives. With guidance from the VNA and caregivers in the community, the team of actors prepare short scenarios that portray situations caregivers commonly face, such as sundowning, taking away car keys, collaborating with care staff, and hallucinations. ...

Woman explains viral video of brother with hospice nurses before he died ABC News - GMA; Shafiq Najib; 9/20/24 Marcella Brown's little brother, Omar Mamoe, died of appendix cancer at 34. A woman explained the story behind the viral video of her brother going on a walk and having fun with the nurses during his final days in hospice before his death. In an Instagram video shared by Marcella Brown of Austin, Texas, recently, her late brother Omar Mamoe can be seen sitting in a wheelchair as he was about to exit his room accompanied by the nurses who entertained him by rapping to a song, "It Was a Good Day," by Ice Cube. The clip, which has garnered over 5 million views, was taken eight days before Mamoe died, showing how he kept his spirits high and brought smiles to those around him. Speaking to "Good Morning America," Brown said she shared the video last month because she was feeling sad at the time, thinking about her late brother. "The video came up, and it just made me feel happy, and it just reminded me that towards the end of his life, like there were these little moments that were good," she said. [Click on the title's link to view the video and read more.]Editor's note: Omar's care was provided by Hospice Austin's Christopher House. Click here (and scroll down) for a different, beautiful video story about Omar and his family. 

[Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month] Artists on death, grief, and cancer Burnaway; by Carolina Ana Drake; 9/17/24... Living in Miami and raising my toddler in this city, I’ve discovered artists who similarly lost a parent to cancer. Many, like me, happen to be the children of immigrants. Their works exemplify challenging, at times experimental, art that doesn’t fit the glitzy, market-driven Miami narrative. Through conversations and email exchanges, I learned more about how these artists transformed the darkness and grief of that period into something beautiful that is worth sharing with others. [Click on the title's link to see photos from the following exhibits.]

How music therapy helps this young cancer patient in Louisville hold on to 'pure joy' ABC WHAS-11, Louisville, KY; by Brooke Hasch; 9/17/24Music therapists come prepared for any mood, hoping to bring light to a dark situation. Within the Norton Healthcare system, they help patients cope with pain, discomfort, and anxiety often associated with hospitalization. Brett Northrup's the music therapist for Norton Children's Cancer Institute, a role he stepped into 13 years ago. "I didn't know it existed, and then when I discovered this field, I said, 'this is it. This is what I'm going to do the rest of my life,'" he said. Northrup doesn't miss a beat when a patient's in need of a smile or a moment of normalcy. He's been there many times for 4-year-old Trey Lowman, who's gone through more than most people will in a lifetime. ... "When you put [Trey] and Brett together, it's magic," [Trey's mom] said. "He's full of joy and that's one thing that cancer hasn't been able to take from him."

Simon Boas’ ‘inspirational’ book A Beginner’s Guide to Dying is published posthumously Jersey Evening Post; by Rod McLoughlin; 9/13/24 Friends and family of the late Simon Boas gathered ... to celebrate the posthumous publication of his book, A Beginner’s Guide to Dying. The former Jersey Overseas Aid chief executive – who died from throat cancer on 15 July at the age of 47 – spent his last months developing into a book ideas first explored in articles for the Jersey Evening Post. Described by the Daily Mail as “an inspirational paean to the joy of life”, Mr Boas’ words reached a huge audience after they were reprinted in the national press and broadcast on the BBC’s Today programme. A proportion of the proceeds are being donated to the African Palliative Care Association and the International Children’s Palliative Care Network. Mr Boas’ inspiring writings in the face of his terminal diagnosis saw him awarded the Bailiff’s Silver Medal in May. Shortly before his death, he also received a personal letter from the King and Queen ahead of their visit to Jersey.

A dying wish: Longtime hospice volunteer has a challenge for GV Green Valley News, Green Valley, AZ; by Dan Shearer; 9/10/24 ... The woman who walked alongside dying patients as a hospice volunteer for more than 20 years is now herself in hospice. She smiles but says the glistening in her eyes are sad tears. But cancer hasn't taken her joy, and she’s emotionally strong enough to meet with a reporter in her final weeks to make a request of Green Valley: Please consider taking up just the kind of work she’s been doing for two decades. It’s tough, but it comes with lessons and blessings that last a lifetime. ...

CHCF unveils palliative care mural California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CHCF); by Lt. M. Orozco; 9/9/24 California Health Care Facility (CHCF) staff joined the incarcerated population and outside stakeholders to unveil the palliative care mural Aug. 23. Warden Gena Jones had a vision to normalize CHCF’s environment, making it more appealing for the incarcerated population and staff to enjoy while working. The vision consists of murals being painted throughout the institution with this mural setting the path for many more to come. In April 2024, incarcerated artists Issac Sinsun, Antiono Garcia, Loreto Arizpe, and Francsico Olivares started the palliative care mural. Little did they know it was the start to a new beginning. With the combined efforts of the four artists, the mural took 81 days and about 2,268 hours to complete. The ideas for the artwork were a combined effort from custody and medical staff as well incarcerated population within the housing unit. [Click on the title's link to see photos.]

After successful IT career, Denise DeLeo finds new meaning in teen hobby LNP / LancasterOnline, Lancaster, PA; by Karyl Carmingnani; 9/4/24 For 50 years, the Lancaster New Era ... highlighted the accomplishments and aspirations of local high school students in a weekly feature known as Teen of the Week. This is one of a series of stories in which we catch up with some of those students highlighted 50 years ago, in 1974, to see how their lives met their teenage goals and what they would tell today’s high school students. When Denise Weitzel was featured as a Teen of the Week in 1974, the bright-eyed 18-year-old had spent three months as an exchange student in a speck of a town in Denmark, was an avid seamstress, ... [Denise] DeLeo got her first sewing machine when she was 12, and made a lot of her clothes growing up. ... DeLeo had an illustrious career in IT, becoming vice president for an information company. But tragedy struck when a disgruntled employee at one of her company’s clients returned to the workplace and gunned down nine people, including her boss. DeLeo decided to leave the industry and help raise her granddaughter instead. And get back to what she loves: sewing. DeLeo also makes memory bears for hospice families. She uses clothing from the deceased person to make personalized keepsakes for family members.