It is always extremely difficult for a family when someone they love is in a hospital far away. This was the case for D, whose sister, L, was hospitalized at St. Anthony's in mid-July 2020.
L was living in Greenup and had been fighting liver cancer when she was transported to St. Anthony's with health complications.
D, who lives in northwest Indiana, had to rely on phone communications with St. Anthony's staff to check on his sister as he traveled to Effingham. He shared, "From the very start, everyone we dealt with on the phone and in person was always so kind, so nice and understanding."
D shared how great L's stay was on the medical/surgical care floor at St. Anthony's. "She was treated so well and with compassion. And she loved the crucifix that was in her room; she really admired it and joked with me that she was going to steal it to take it home with her."
Prior to her hospitalization, L was planning on moving to Indiana to be closer to her family but doctors determined that there was no further treatment available for her cancer so she would need to go to a nursing home or hospice home. The family wanted to find a place in Indiana so that she could still be near them.
D explained that they knew finding a place in Indiana that would take L's Illinois insurance would be difficult. But he shared how Erin Mueller, case management facilitator, worked above and beyond for the family.
"Erin was determined to find the right place for my sister. She researched and found a place that was an hour away from my home, which would have been fine. But she kept searching. In fact, one night, she mentioned she was supposed to leave work at 3:30 pm but was so determined, she stayed until 6 p.m. to find the right place." Erin was able to find a hospice home a half-hour away from the family, which made it much easier for them to spend time with L. D said, "Erin was so persistent; she didn't settle - that is so unheard of and touched me deeply. She also was in nearly constant contact with my wife working out the plans, and often would text her encouraging messages - taking photos of sunsets she would see when walking at night and sending them to my wife, letting her know that she was thinking of and praying for our family. She was truly an angel to us."
When L was discharged and D came to pick her up to take her to the hospice home in Indiana, L was wheeled out by third-floor med/surg nurse Laura Will. As Laura helped her into the car, D noticed that L was holding a sweatshirt in her lap. Then L opened the sweatshirt to reveal to D what she had - the crucifix from her hospital room. D shared, "I said, L! Did you really take that?" "She laughed and said to Laura, 'I told you he would think I stole it!' Then with a smile on her face, she told me, 'No, it is a gift - she gave it to me.' She held that crucifix in her lap the whole way back to Indiana - a four-hour drive - rubbing it the whole time; it comforted her so much."
D shared that the hospice home that Erin found for L was a beautiful place, so nice that his sister didn't think she deserved it. The home also allowed the family to hang the crucifix that L loved in her room there. The closeness of the facility to their home allowed D and the family as much time as possible with L in her last days, which unfortunately was not long after she arrived. D shared, "To the end, she loved that crucifix. I got it down from the wall for her so she could hold it again, and she was clutching it when she passed."