The following post contains a letter from a family whose wife and mother was under our care for seven months. It truly captures the spirit of Faith Hospice and our mission to provide compassionate hospice care. With the family’s permission, we are blessed to be able to share their experience with the hope that this helps deepen your understanding of hospice care and the true joy and comfort that it can bring to those we serve and their loved ones.
Dear Faith Hospice,
On behalf of our entire family, we would like to express our appreciation for the help we received from Faith Hospice in treating Janice D. Cook (my wife) as she battled against Vascular Alzheimer's/Dementia. We received her diagnosis from Dr. Kevin Foley in August 2022. During Janice’s third and final appointment with Dr. Foley on June 2, 2023, once he learned it was our desire to care for Janice at home, he suggested we would benefit from hospice care.
My daughter, Deb, contacted Faith Hospice and on June 8, RN Andrea met with our family and completed the “Election of Hospice Care” forms and went over in detail all the care and services offered by Faith Hospice. That is how this portion of Janice’s journey began and exactly seven months later (6:30 AM on the morning of January 8, 2024) it ended.
We quickly discovered that Dr. Foley’s suggestion for hospice care was the best medical advice we could have ever hoped for. Thanks to the employees and volunteers of Faith Hospice, we were blessed with so many wonderful memories of Janice as she fought the good fight. Janice progressed through the remainder of her earthly journey with her smile and sense of humor still intact and never lost her ability to communicate with us until the last two days.
Your motto, “I will be your champion,” certainly described the love, compassion, and skillful care we were provided under the leadership of Andrea. She was always available to answer questions, offer advice, and keep us supplied with meds and personal care items as together we shared this special moment in time. We were assisted by six different CNAs. On the morning of July 24, 2023, CNA Monica arrived at my front door and was with us for the remaining five and a half months. There is no way I can put into words what it meant to Janice and our family to have Monica in our home caring for Janice. Janice was happy to see Monica arrive (“Hi Janice, remember what we do every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday”), and then as she departed, Janice would smile at Monica and say, “I love you”. During my professional life, I had the privilege of hiring over 400 people, and I learned to identify a “Champion”, and that best describes Monica.
Our social worker, Heather (helped to encourage me) and volunteers Kelly (gave Janice several haircuts) and Paige (was with Janice while I took care of chores) were invaluable. Their assistance played an important part in helping me to bring love and joy into Janice’s life.
As Faith Hospice walked with us during this part of our earthly journey, we experienced so many special moments and blessings with Janice that otherwise we would have missed. I would like to mention just two of those many blessings I received. In the middle of the night several months ago, Janice woke me up and asked me to stand up. I was very tired and could hardly focus on her and then asked her “Why do you want me to stand up?” She replied, “Because I want to hug and kiss you.” Having been married for 53 years, I would rank that moment just behind the day I met Janice and the day I married Janice. On another occasion, Janice called me into the living room and said she wanted to pray with me. I snuggled up close to her and she asked me to pray first but before I could collect myself, Janice gave the most beautiful and heartfelt prayer I have ever heard since becoming a believer 52 years ago. At the end of her prayer, Janice said, “Lord, this is Janice D. Cook,” and then spelled her name. I was speechless and could not even talk.
In addition to those events, I will never forget Janice coming down the hall after Monica showered and cared for Janice (hair all washed, dried, combed, teeth brushed, pretty dress on, pink fingernails and toenails, socks and slippers on, skin care products on etc.) and seeing Janice’s smile because she felt so special. God bless Monica for all that she did for Janice!
To those of you from Faith Hospice that were on our “care team,” thank you for helping make so many memories possible!
Sincerely and with profound appreciation,
John B. Cook & Family