These inspirational stories from our hospice patients and their families are about hope, caring and going the extra mile to make life the best it can be.
Lively and cheerful at 93, Inga often reminisced about being an artist in her younger years. Hospice of the Valley nurse Cheryl Haynes could tell that passion still lived inside her—all she needed was some encouragement and inspiration. One look at the adorable pooch on the cover of our Pet Therapy calendar, and Inga picked up her pen and started sketching. Watch her beautiful story.
When Hospice of the Valley social worker Erin Butler learned that that her 103 year old patient regretted never riding on a train… Erin wanted to make that dream come true. She contacted Valley Metro light rail with a brilliant idea—why not take our patient on a virtual train ride? Watch as Valley Metro created a video from Tressi’s point of view.
Fear, guilt and loneliness consumed Jamie Stutzman and Kathleen Muldoon, two working moms whose children require round-the-clock medical care.
Jamie’s 8-year-old daughter, Reesa, was born with a rare and acute neurological condition that damages the nervous system, causing stunted development, hearing loss, fevers and many other challenges. There’s no cure for Krabbe disease and treatment consists mostly of managing Reesa’s symptoms.
When Bessie Medigovich visited her beloved patient, Wayne Pomeroy, shortly before he died in April, the Hospice of the Valley nurse had no idea the affable 98-year-old was a bona fide Mesa icon. All she saw was an extremely kind man and “very family-oriented person” adored by his four girls.
She didn’t know the civic leader and fourth-generation Mesa resident had served on the City Council and as mayor from 1966 to 1980. Or that his Main Street store, Pomeroy’s Men’s and Missionary Store, has been a fixture in downtown Mesa since 1951.
These days, we’re used to seeing women excel in sports. But imagine what it was like 75 years ago for those intrepid females who paved the way. I was humbled to meet one such dynamo and hear her fascinating story.
Helen Nicol is a 99-year-old Hospice of the Valley patient who was in the right place at the right time — with a wicked right arm.
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