August 2023
Virginia
Hendricks
,
RN
MSU
TidalHealth Nanticoke
Seaford
,
DE
United States
All the nurses involved in my aunt’s care were truly remarkable, but Ginny had a special bond with my aunt and cousin that helped them agree to do the graduation early at the hospital.
My 52-year-old aunt was admitted to TidalHealth Nanticoke with respiratory failure from metastatic colorectal cancer to the lungs. My aunt had been told her lung tumor burden was causing her respiratory failure and there was nothing else to be done but focus on keeping her comfortable.
During my aunt’s 23-month battle with cancer, her goal had been to survive long enough to make it to her daughter’s high school graduation. My aunt gave up her career to homeschool my cousin and poured every bit of herself into making her daughter’s life as wonderful as possible. My family asked if we could do a fake graduation early, as we felt my aunt was suffering to try and make it, but we were always told that wasn’t what my aunt and cousin wanted.
All the nurses involved in my aunt’s care were truly remarkable, but Ginny had a special bond with my aunt and cousin that helped them agree to do the graduation early at the hospital. Before the graduation, Ginny set up a conference room for us to use for the cake, pizza, pictures, and balloons. Ginny arranged it so the whole family could be there as well as some of my aunt’s chemo nurses.
The graduation ceremony and celebration were gloriously perfect. My aunt was able to give a speech to say how proud she was of my cousin. Another nurse came in and offered to give a kind speech and pray a touching prayer in Haitian Creole over my aunt and cousin as my family is very religious. The nurses gave my cousin a card, a gift card, and a Snoopy dog with a graduation hat on for all the family to sign as a reminder of the event. The nurses clapped for my cousin when she flipped her tassel to the other side and joined in on our prayer as my family held hands.
The care from the nurses and the graduation was truly one of the most thoughtful and beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. This provided my aunt with peace at the end of her life. On Ginny’s last day on shift, she cried with my aunt and gave her the biggest hug. My aunt then decided to go home with hospice.
The kindness shown to us by the nurses, aids, and pulmonologists will not be forgotten. Ginny went above and beyond to accommodate all my aunt’s big and small requests, and we are so grateful she could give so much peace and joy to my aunt and family during such a difficult time.
During my aunt’s 23-month battle with cancer, her goal had been to survive long enough to make it to her daughter’s high school graduation. My aunt gave up her career to homeschool my cousin and poured every bit of herself into making her daughter’s life as wonderful as possible. My family asked if we could do a fake graduation early, as we felt my aunt was suffering to try and make it, but we were always told that wasn’t what my aunt and cousin wanted.
All the nurses involved in my aunt’s care were truly remarkable, but Ginny had a special bond with my aunt and cousin that helped them agree to do the graduation early at the hospital. Before the graduation, Ginny set up a conference room for us to use for the cake, pizza, pictures, and balloons. Ginny arranged it so the whole family could be there as well as some of my aunt’s chemo nurses.
The graduation ceremony and celebration were gloriously perfect. My aunt was able to give a speech to say how proud she was of my cousin. Another nurse came in and offered to give a kind speech and pray a touching prayer in Haitian Creole over my aunt and cousin as my family is very religious. The nurses gave my cousin a card, a gift card, and a Snoopy dog with a graduation hat on for all the family to sign as a reminder of the event. The nurses clapped for my cousin when she flipped her tassel to the other side and joined in on our prayer as my family held hands.
The care from the nurses and the graduation was truly one of the most thoughtful and beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. This provided my aunt with peace at the end of her life. On Ginny’s last day on shift, she cried with my aunt and gave her the biggest hug. My aunt then decided to go home with hospice.
The kindness shown to us by the nurses, aids, and pulmonologists will not be forgotten. Ginny went above and beyond to accommodate all my aunt’s big and small requests, and we are so grateful she could give so much peace and joy to my aunt and family during such a difficult time.