My husband, D, and I had been married for 55 adventuresome years on our anniversary this past March. However, after more than 14 years on a journey with Parkinson’s Disease, he was in no shape for an anniversary celebration and neither was I. D was extremely debilitated, and I was totally exhausted. He had been on BSW hospice care since January, when his doctors had said there was no more medical help for him. Tara Nugent was our chief hospice nurse for the remaining months of D’s life with us. She is an exemplary example of both professional and compassionate care in a family’s difficult situation.

On every visit, Tara brought joy and love along with her nursing and administrative skills. Exactly one year before D's homegoing, he and I vacated our home and moved into quarters remodeled just for us in our daughter and son-in-law’s family home. We traded places with young adult grandchildren and became their landlords as they took on care of our home and property. We are thankful for our caring, helping family. Our daughter B was a great aide to me in D's care. Her husband, with a Masters Degree in Science and Nursing, and other family members too, made huge efforts to be of aid.

But it was the hospice team under Tara’s oversight that helped to keep things in balance. We trusted Tara’s management as she made sure a skillful aide would be giving D his showers, and other team responsibilities were met. Tara was with us twice a week, once to focus on D and once to visit to see how we as a family were doing. I don’t know how we would have managed without breaking down if we had not had Tara and the hospice team. Somehow, Tara always managed to extend each of her visits past the normally allotted time. There was such mutual enjoyment of our time together that we all just soaked up as much as we could. Tara became embraced as part of our family. Her faith blended with ours, and we were all enriched.

Finally, we knew it was time to alert the rest of our kids that D's remaining days were few, and our scattered five and spouses began to arrive. So, several got a chance to get acquainted with Tara. Not all were with us yet, but it was Wednesday that D quietly told B he just wanted to go home. B knew he meant heaven, and she told him that we all understood and we wanted him to feel released to go. Then she said, “But K will be here on Friday, just two more days.” And D softly said, “OK, I’ll wait.” K and D arrived on Friday, and we all spent the weekend thinking that any hour would be D's last. We were absolutely amazed that he kept hanging on to life, but it was a rich family gathering. Even D got engaged in important bits of loving communication. On Monday morning, we knew that Tara was due for her regular time with D. All the family was gathered around D's bed. Tara arrived, walked in, sat down, and reached for D's wrist to check his pulse. She felt none, though he had been breathing weakly just a short time before. Tara said calmly, “He’s gone.” There was great relief in the room as we knew D’s suffering was over. Then right away, there were comments of "he waited for Tara!" It was a happy homegoing, even though the hole that D left behind is huge.

I for one will never forget the significant impact Tara made on our family. I am keeping in touch with her and plan for that to continue. I believe the feeling is mutual. Tara deserves special recognition for her skill and heartfelt service beyond the call of duty. This is why I am glad to nominate Tara Nugent for the DAISY Award.