Musician grants dying wish to hospice patient

Musician grants dying wish to hospice patient 
The Platte County Citizen; by Rimsie McConiga; 5/14/24 
Jazz musician Stanton Kessler was surprised when he was contacted recently by his friend, a hospice nurse, who reached out to him with an unusual request. A patient at the Kansas City hospice where she works told her his last wish would be to hear his favorite song, ‘Feels So Good’ before he died. During their conversations Kessler’s impression was that this was his friend’s first experience with a request such as this. “There was an element of urgency,” Kessler said. “She said he was near death.” ... An incredibly emotional and rewarding moment followed when Kessler began to play the patient’s beloved song. The man’s eyes remained closed, but his fingers began to move. ...
Editor's Note: For research-based, hospice clinical stories, and rich music metaphors for ways to use music with the dying and bereaved, examine the book, Music of the Soul, Chapter 7 "The Final Cadence," in Routledge's international Series in Death, Dying, and Bereavement (series edited Robert A. Neimeyer), authored by Joy S. Berger, DMA, FT, BCC, MT-BC (editor for this newsletter).