Hospice Stories & Testimonials

Hospice Stories

Gladys' Wish
Gladys is a fighter. You can tell by her fortitude and optimism. After years of battling Glioblastoma Multiform, a disease with a usual prognosis of six months to a year, she and her family decided on Hospice. Gladys has led an athletic life, participating in triathlons and dance competitions. She has been married for over 30 years, with two grown children and has her Masters Degree in Psychology.

Gladys' wish was to visit her family in Florida; she asked if this was possible. After phone calls and arrangements, some minor difficulties and major collaborations, it happened. Gladys was able to fly to Florida to visit with her family for a week! She was so happy this could become a reality.

A month later, on her birthday, her health had declined. Silverado brought Gladys and her family a homemade birthday cake, her favorite jellybeans, candy, cards, presents and flowers. When everyone sang Happy Birthday, Gladys, no longer able to speak in full sentences, said, "awesome" with a huge smile on her face. She ate two pieces of cake, chocolate, and jelly beans and fell asleep!

It has been a gift to learn from people like Gladys. She never complains, always has a smiling, and has an incredible attitude. She lives in acceptance, which brightens all our lives.

Joe's Winning Team

The sizzling excitement of live football, the roar of the crowd and thrill of a win for your team is a dream for most dedicated Texas football fans. For Joe Bernal catching one last game was his wish. Winning teams like Silverado Hospice are devoted to making "goals" and dreams come true for their patients like Joe, a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan. He simply wanted to go to a real live Cowboys game just one more time in his life.

"It was truly a dream come true to go the preseason match up of the Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans," exclaimed Joe. The Houston area native had followed the Dallas Cowboys since the franchise's inception and had been to a game many years ago. Joe's son recalled just how faithful his father was to the Dallas Cowboys. He joked, "When I was a boy, I knew that if the Cowboys won, Sunday dinner would be joyous or quiet if they lost."  Read Story

 
Joe's Fish Wish

"I want to have a fish fry!" Joe told us that he always wanted invite friends and family over for a fish fry, to eat and laugh and play some dominoes. How could we say no?! Silverado brought & cooked the fish. And all of the many friends and family members, as well as many of the Hospice associates, enjoyed the games. The gleam in Joe's eyes said it all. Filled with gratitude, he said he'd never had anything like it before. "It was fabulous!"

Silverado Hospice

Debra's Story
After a few weeks, Debra had turned a corner. She decided she wanted to have a "victory party" with a peaches theme. She invited her Silverado team to join the party in her room. Silverado's Hospice Case Manager, social worker, chaplain and Nancy prepared dishes and desserts featuring peaches and decorated Debra's room. At the end of the party, Debra exclaimed, "I've never felt more loved in my life." Read Story

Last Wishes Fly High
"We all have such unique life stories. At Silverado it's our job and goal to get to the heart of what is truly important. One size doesn't fit all and there is really beauty in that. At Silverado last wishes occur on a daily basis and it's all in a day's work to be there to help someone enjoy every moment of life up to its last moments"
  - Annika Hunt, Hospice Administrator, Salt Lake City

Among the Tulips
"I don't understand the human brain or the ravages of diseases like Alzheimer's. But that day, I did learn something about the soul. Parker Palmer, theologian and author, writes in The Courage to Teach, "If we want to see and hear a person's soul, there is a ... truth we must remember: the soul is like a wild animal - tough, resilient and yet shy. When we go crashing through the woods shouting for it to come out so that we can help it, the soul will stay in hiding. But if we are willing to sit quietly and wait for a while, the soul may show itself." Tough, resilient and yet shy, Jim's soul mostly hides inside the ailing, demented person he has become. A day among the tulips coaxed his soul out of hiding. For awhile, it sat in the sunshine and filled itself with the colors, scents, and sounds of God's creation. In quiet and patience, I wait to meet it again." Read Story
 - David Pascoe, Chaplin

Hospice Family Testimonials

"I just want to say thank you to all of the wonderful people that helped my mother during her enrollment in Silverado Hospice. She was treated with kindness, love and dignity.... Thank you for making it all come together for Mother"
--- Julie A. Costamagna

"In the end, there was Silverado Hospice, quietly, gently, competently providing extraordinary support, guidance and care.... It takes special people to guide families through the last days of life and to work so hard to ensure that there is as much life experienced as possible in those days. Your song is unsung. The world so needs what you offer. You will have my gratitude and that of my family always."
--- Madeline Brandli and Family

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart. Everyone of you were angels to us"
--- Mercedes Cross

"To the beautiful angels of Silverado Hospice: How special it was to me and my gentle husband, to be under the care of such good people. God bless all of you!"
--- Elsie Prince

"Please pass this heartfelt thank you along to those team members who participated in the care of my brother-in-law. It is very important to me that they know how much we appreciate them and that we never would have experienced the healing that occurred in this family without their help. We thank you, Silverado, from the bottom of our hearts!"
---Cathy Brozey

"Those days and hours were some of the most difficult of our lives. You appeared with perfect timing, took charge and led our family through those emotional roller-coaster moments. Thank you for sharing your strength and extraordinary compassion."
--- Mary and Family

Hospice Volunteer Stories

Exam Day
Jenny, a Silverado Hospice LVN, related a clinical visit she had just made.

The patient, Norma, had always been very difficult. She refused to cooperate, was sometimes combative and often tearful. On this particular day, Sherry, a Hospice volunteer, was with the patient when the nurse arrived. The patient seemed unusually calm and cooperative.

The volunteer had been working with Norma and learned that she loved music from the 40's era. Sherry brought records from her own late mother's collection and played them. She quietly stroked the Norma's hands, letting her know that she cared.

The music and the touch brought Norma comfort and she was able to relax and cooperate for the examination. Jenny was grateful for the help and wanted to share about the compassion and commitment of Sherry who had worked so hard to find a unique way of dealing with her patient. The Hospice volunteer's love and devotion made a real difference in the life of the patient.

Looking at it Through New Eyes
Charlotte, an 84year old woman, had no desire left. Her husband had been killed at Pearl Harbor. Her one child died, leaving her to grieve alone. Charlotte was on hospice, ready to die herself. She didn't want cataract surgery. She didn't even want to get out of bed.

But then she met Alan, a volunteer, who came in to her life. His weekly visits brought joy, and socialization. Alan became Charlotte's friend.

And as her friend, he did a little research. He found a photo of her husband's gravesite online - she had never been able to see it. He made a print of it and gave it to her. Deeply touched, Charlotte fought back.

She has regained determination, her will to live has returned. Charlotte said she's going to have her eye surgery, after all.

Yep. Volunteers change lives.

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