My entire career has been walking with individuals and their loved ones at the end of life with the majority of the time spent working in hospice. People have often asked me, “How could you do that work?” and it is difficult to find the words to explain that for me it was more than a job, it was calling that could not be ignored. The calling was fed by the opportunity to work with a team of compassionate caregivers who tended to one another with the same care they provided for their patients. It was affirmed by the gift of being invited into people’s sacred moments, intimate thoughts, and swirling emotions. It was validated every time I witnessed a peaceful death. The calling was sanctioned when grieving individuals felt heard.
I have seen hospice make a huge difference in people’s living and dying. Sandy's story continues to reverberate in my heart. She was dying of AIDS and when the hospice team initially met her she was wrapped in a cocoon of shame. Slowly, very slowly, she developed a relationship of trust with the hospice team who provided Sandy a safe place of unconditional love and acceptance. In fits and starts with one nugget shared at a time she told her story which included childhood trauma of abuse and neglect which was beyond imagination. She tried to fill the loveless void in her life with drugs, sex, gambling and one abusive relationship after another which ate at the little self esteem she had left. Eventually she shared her darkest secrets with some members of the hospice team which helped her shed her cocoon of shame. Through the steadfast presence of the hospice team she experienced the gift of unconditional love for the first time in her life and a beautiful butterfly emerged souring with a new sense of self worth. The hospice team walked with her as she grieved the death of the only child that social service had not taken away from her. As she neared death her eyes sparkled with life. On my last visit to her she asked me to pray that God would take her home and reunite her with her child. That day she died surrounded by the comfort of the hospice nurse. Hospice does make a huge difference in people’s living and dying!
It has also made an enormous impact on my life. It has been a meaningfully rich experience filled with beautiful and memorable interactions, important and impactful life lessons, long lasting and treasured relationships with coworkers, and gratitude for it all.
The impact hospice makes on patients and loved ones is what has fueled my passion for hospice, so it is no wonder that when I visited Selian Hospice in Arusha Tanzania last October, that I was extremely touched by the dedication of the hospice team who worked with very limited resources. Upon my return, I began praying that God would utilize my hospice experience to help sustain the work of Selian Hospice. God answered my prayer in a big way, far bigger than I ever imagined.
I got connected with Global Health Ministries, a wonderful organization that supports health ministries around the globe. They suggested that I apply for a capacity building grant which puts boots on the ground to work shoulder to shoulder with heath care projects throughout the world. Through the grant I was able to gather a talented and committed team of nine hospice and business professionals to work with the staff of Selian Hospice over a three week period in October to meet the key needs which the Selian team has identified including:
- Training for the hospice team and other health care professionals with a focus on pediatric palliative care
- Organizational development and succession planning
- New computers and IT systems
- Deferred maintenance of the hospice office
- Securing and increasing long term sustainable funding through US donations.
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