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Silverado Hospice - Hospice Stories

Hospital staff fulfills hospice patient's final wish to attend son's weddingNBC 10 News; 1/31/24A hospice patient in Fall River was able to attend his son's wedding, thanks to the help of some healthcare workers. The wedding was held inside of Charlton Memorial Hospital's chapel on Wednesday. Staff said it was patient John's last wish to see his son get married.

Team of caring nurses help end-of-life patients fulfill wedding dreams by arranging hospital ceremoniesPeople, by Erin Clack; 1/30/24Natasha Steels-Webb and her colleagues came up with the idea to create boxes filled with wedding essentials to pull off hospital ceremonies. "Myself and a colleague decided to create the wedding box after a patient we were caring for had become very unwell and it was clear she was not going to recover," Steels-Webb said in a post on the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust's website. "She had been with her current partner for many years, but they just hadn't got around to getting married — and this was something they both wanted," she continued.

8-year-old girl with terminal illness becomes honorary K-9 officer BNN, by Wojciech Zylm; 1/28/24Eight-year-old Elayah Chance, a Plainfield resident living with a terminal genetic condition, had her dream come true as she was sworn in as an honorary K-9 officer. This heartwarming event was a joint effort by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana and the Plainfield Police Department. Partnered with Officer Rob Prichard and his K-9 companion, Jocko, Elayah spent an unforgettable Saturday responding to calls and serving her community in a way she had always dreamt of.

Fort Morgan hospice patient and criminal justice graduate accomplishes dream of becoming a juvenile advocate The Fort Morgan Times, by Robin Northrup; 1/25/24Fort Morgan resident Raquel Marquez has always wanted to be a juvenile advocate. Her passion is to protect the rights and interests of children involved in the legal system — those who are victims of abuse, neglect, or crime. ... In 2013, during her first year of college, Marquez was diagnosed with brain cancer. Even after learning about her diagnosis, she stayed in school and finished her degree. Now at home in the care of her family and Hospice of the Plains, Marquez had her dream fulfilled at her home on Wednesday by Hospice of the Plains representative Leon Midkiff,  Morgan County Sheriff Dave Martin, and 13th Judicial District’s Victim Advocate, Jill Olsen.

Don’t stop dreamin’ turns nursing home residents’ dreams into realityiAdvanceSeniorCare, by Paige Cerulli; 1/22/24The nonprofit now works to fulfill dreams for residents of all Quality Life Services homes, as well as for patients of Three Rivers Hospice. “There is one employee at all ten locations, including Three Rivers Hospice, that represents Don’t Stop Dream’ as a Dream Ambassador,” explains [Paula] Elder. “They are responsible for learning about our residents and patients’ needs and dreams, and submitting them for request. Most dreams are typically granted to our residents and patients after research is completed to ensure their safety, travel arrangements (if necessary), and staffing is available.”

Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown sends signed jersey to fan in hospice who dyed his hair blueNFL, by Erin Walsh; 1/20/24Larry Benjamin, a Detroit Lions fan receiving hospice care who dyed his hair blue for the team's playoff run, received a very special gift from star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown this weekend. St. Brown sent Benjamin, a lifelong Lions fan, an autographed jersey after hearing about his gesture of support for the team. Editor's Note: Follow-up to the story we posted on 

Lions fan in hospice care dyes hair Honolulu Blue to support the teamABC 12 News WJRT, Saginaw Townshiop, MI, by Terry Camp; 1/17/24... Larry Benjamin, 83, has entered hospice care, but this Lions season and now the playoff win has given him a lot of joy. He wants everyone to get behind the Lions, and his show of support has gone viral.

Wings of togetherness: National nonprofit providing flights for families of New Braunfels Hope Hospice veterans

Assisted living residents surprised on Christmas Day—’Value these beautiful lives’WTVR-TV (Richmond, VA); 12/29/23Henrico County, VA—Residents at an assisted living community in the West End received a surprise on Christmas Day thanks to workers at a Richmond Hospice service. Debbie Johnston, a registered nurse at Serenity First Hospice, said her team members adopted Morningside in the West End to give residents a “fairytale” for some residents who have not had a Christmas gift for years. As a result, the hospice workers shopped for gifts and promoted a present drive over the past few weeks. Additionally, business and members of the community made donations.

Hospice patient granted wish of meeting penguin at Mystic AquariumWTNH-TV (New Haven, CT), 12/22/23Mystic, CT—Mystic Aquarium played host to a special visitor on Wednesday to give her a every special experience. It’s been more than 30 years since Denise Oliver has been to Mystic Aquarium. Visiting and being able to pet a penguin, she said, made her “like a kid.” “Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m actually touching a penguin,” she said. Oliver is on hospice care at Civita Care Center at West River in Milford. “People kind of see [hospice] as the last little bit of their life, but it’s supposed to bring a celebration for all that they’ve done, and be able to enjoy the things that they like to do,” said Tayler Klein, the director of social services at the Civita Care Center.

Helping hands in hospiceC-Ville (Charlottesville, VA)December 13, 2023Charlottesville, VA—It’s a conversation starter you might throw out with a group of friends hanging out at a winery, or after a large informal family supper: “What would you like to do before you die?” The answers are probably interesting, intriguing, even surprising. The discussion could inspire someone in the group to make those dreams happen. But for Beth Eck, director of end-of-life doula services for Hospice of the Piedmont, the real question is: “Have you said what needs to be said?” 

A Wish Come True—8-year-old in hospice goal surpassed by 10,000 cards and giftsWEWS-TV (Cleveland, OH)December 12, 2023Conesville, OH—Last week, we talked about a little boy in hospice who wished for 2,000 birthday and Christmas cards; after that, so many of you reached out, wanting to know an update! ... They got more than 13,000 cards and gifts from across the nation. On Tuesday, UPS picked up the packages and cards from the Community Hospice center and hand-delivered them to Andrew’s home where he was overwhelmed and in shock at how much there was. The boxes filled their kitchen, barely leaving standing room, but more importantly, they brought Andrew the holiday joy he needed.