Short Stories from members of our Hospice Foundation Board of Directors

“I remember one gentleman in our care, who had told one of our Hospice Social Workers how much he loved seeing his granddaughter, how it brightened his day. But their visits had become more frustrating because he couldn’t hear her so well. So the Hospice SW told him we might be able to do something about that. The Social Worker explained our Make-a-memory program to him. She assured him that the hospice foundation has donated funds designated for such things. We were able to get our speech pathologist/audiologist to visit him later that same day and she came up with a recommendation for a high end voice amplifier that was compact and user-friendly. Within 48 hours we were back in the patient’s home, showing him how to use it. And the timing was perfect. He was anticipating a visit from his granddaughter the coming weekend, so he was truly excited to try out his new “toy”. When we saw him next, he talked about his time with his granddaughter, he had tears in his eyes. His granddaughter, who was only 7 years old, had a long conversation with him about everything that was happening in her little world. He could clearly understand her words for the first time in long while.”

"I am so proud to be associated with Hospice. It has been more years now than I can count. I have always believed in and supported what Hospice Philosophical care is able to provide to a family and community. I am especially proud to have been and continue to be a part of U.P. Hospice and its long history. Did you know we were the third Hospice established in America? In fact, Hospice really took root right here in the U.P. After Cindy Nyquist started our Hospice, she helped start Lake Superior Hospice and many of the others across the U.P. As a direct result of Cindy Nyquist’s pioneering spirit and fortitude to assure this needed service, Hospice was nurtured and developed, right here in the U.P. We like to say that the U.P. is the cradle of Hospice in America."

"I remember a patient who had end stage respiratory disease, and it was a particularly hot and humid summer. Ethel lived in her son’s apartment, which had no air conditioning. The heat and humidity had made Ethel’s breathing difficult. Ethel’s Hospice nurse arranged to purchase two window air conditioners that were installed in their apartment. The foundation also then paid for the electricity for the months that the air conditioners were used. This greatly relieved Ethel’s breathing difficulties."

"I will never forget one Hospice patient in particular. Joan was her name. Joan had 5 grown kids and most of them were in close proximity to her, but her only daughter lived in California. Neither Joan nor her daughter Mary had the money to afford a plane ticket. They both wanted to see each other so badly. They had talked by phone regularly, but had not actually seen each other in about 7 years. Joan wanted nothing more than to able to see Mary. The U.P. Hospice foundation had recently received a considerable memorial donation from a family of a past hospice patient. Their gift, as well as the donations from all of our other benefactors enabled us to purchase the plane ticket for Joan and Mary."