#hospice
I know I don’t have enough followers to justify asking this here.
My mom has a few days, maybe weeks left to live.
She has dementia, malnutrition, and cirrosis of the liver, just to name a few issues.
We have her set up in a really kind and caring hospice facility 20 minutes away from our home. They’re taking very good care of mom and keep up updated.
The problem is the facility costs $8000/month. I was able to write a check for last month, but we have til the 24th of each month to come up with the rent.
My mom was a nurse for over 40 years. She spent the last 15 years working in the NICU with premibabies. She ran the bereavement program at MAMC, and was an administrator for end of life care for cancer patients.
My mom isn’t perfect, but she spent most of her life trying to do good for other people.
If you can donate even just $1, that’s gonna get us closer to our goal.
And don’t worry, we’ve cut back on everything to stretch the dollars that we have.
Thank you for reading.
gf.me/u/znp4mm
NICOLAS ROLIN, Hôtel Dieu, Beaune, France, 1443
NICOLAS ROLIN, Hôtel Dieu, Beaune, France, 1443
The Nurse Who Admits Patients to Hospice Care
“Hospice is not about dying. It is about living the remainder of your life how you want to. Not how I want you to, not how your husband, wife, daughters, or sons want you to, and not how the doctor wants you to, but how you want to.”
Sometimes, the way we frame something makes all the difference.
Post link
This is not a happy update so if you’re not down for downers, skip this entry. Otherwise, read on, Montressor!
If you want the short version, I’m dying. Not in the philosophical, existential “we’re all dying from the day we’re born” sense that you can write off to make yourself feel better.
The cancer that has metastasized to my liver has overcome every treatment we’ve thrown at it, and it’s time to realize that the time for fighting is through. Now is the time to find peace and comfort for myself and my loved ones, to make decisions about how I want to die.
Cesar Rodney in 1776 says, “A man should die in his own bed.” I didn’t think much of that at the time, being that I first saw this movie as a teenager. But now it has a certain appeal to it. I’ve read some of Caitlin Doughty’s writings about death and our Western - especially American - culture. About how we view death with fear, almost as if it were, itself, contagious. (Maybe the cause of death is contagious, like viral infections, but death itself is not.)
I want to die at home, with my loved ones and maybe even my cat. I want to have as peaceful a death as it’s possible to have, and I want comfort for the bereaved. I don’t have a lot of time left to me, but I hope it’s enough. Though I guess we all hope it’s enough, don’t we?
Yo!
So, I understand this is a little random, but I’d like to ask for y'alls help with something.
Around ten months ago, my family lost my mum to lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes) and its been rough for all of us. For me and my sister (15 and 16 at the time) she was an incredible pillar of love and support and we all miss her dearly. As a young man with ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) who faces discrimination for that fact, it’s been immensly difficult, especially when she was the only one able to defend me against discrimination because of my condition.
In her final month’s, an organisation called Garden House Hospice gave her an incredible amount of support. They listened to her when she told them something was wrong (something the other charities and the NHS refused to do), their volunteers and staff are incredibly kind and caring, and they give an incredible quality of life to those suffering from life-altering illnesses. I saw first-hand the incredible work they do, and they do so much good for so many people.
As many people know, Hospice services have been hit especially hard during this pandemic, and with their charity shops closed and their fund-raising events cancelled, Garden House has been struggling to get by.
So, to pay my thanks to them and help them through these tough times, I’ve decided to raise money for them by cutting my hair! As an ASD kid, such a drastic change is a pretty bid deal for me (I haven’t cut my hair since I was four, and I’m very protective of it) but I’d like to do what I can to help those who did so much for my mum while she was at her lowest.
I’d be grateful to anyone who donates and/or shares this post around, the link is below to the fundraiser!
IT’SHAPPENINGTODAYPEOPLE!!!
Don’t worry, you can still donate (if you’re able to) after the big cut, but it’s all going down today! I’ll be making a post with the video once it’s done! I guess it’s a face-reveal too?
Yo!
So, I understand this is a little random, but I’d like to ask for y'alls help with something.
Around ten months ago, my family lost my mum to lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes) and its been rough for all of us. For me and my sister (15 and 16 at the time) she was an incredible pillar of love and support and we all miss her dearly. As a young man with ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) who faces discrimination for that fact, it’s been immensly difficult, especially when she was the only one able to defend me against discrimination because of my condition.
In her final month’s, an organisation called Garden House Hospice gave her an incredible amount of support. They listened to her when she told them something was wrong (something the other charities and the NHS refused to do), their volunteers and staff are incredibly kind and caring, and they give an incredible quality of life to those suffering from life-altering illnesses. I saw first-hand the incredible work they do, and they do so much good for so many people.
As many people know, Hospice services have been hit especially hard during this pandemic, and with their charity shops closed and their fund-raising events cancelled, Garden House has been struggling to get by.
So, to pay my thanks to them and help them through these tough times, I’ve decided to raise money for them by cutting my hair! As an ASD kid, such a drastic change is a pretty bid deal for me (I haven’t cut my hair since I was four, and I’m very protective of it) but I’d like to do what I can to help those who did so much for my mum while she was at her lowest.
I’d be grateful to anyone who donates and/or shares this post around, the link is below to the fundraiser!
IT’S HAPPENING TOMMOROW PEOPLE!!!!
Back in 2014 I experienced an internship at a hospice and I met this old lady who suffered from lung cancer. She spent her whole life working and studying. Everything she had left was her cat and one friend. One evening, we had a very long conversation about priorities and in that night she taught me that it’s about what I want and how I feel good and not about what anyone is expecting. She taught me how important I am myself and that there’s no one or anybody who’s any more important in my life. I asked her if it was her decision to end up as lonely as she was on that point of time. She said she didn’t decide to be lonely, but for that very short moment she made all of her decisions she felt alright. She was good. And happy. And that’s everything that counts. She told me not to worry about what could be one day. She taught me that everything I should worry about is how I feel right now.
This conversation changed me. It changed my whole mind. It made me start to stop cutting and hurting myself.
This lady is surely not alive anymore, but I can proudly say that she gained a friend before her death. Or at least she gained someone, who’s always gonna remember her.
And I wanted to spread her legacy. Her wisdom.
I hope you can find a sense for your life out of this short story.May this awesome woman rest in the most beautiful place in paradise GOD could find for her.
I posted a progress photo of this back when I made it in September, but I just realized I never shared the whole thing in readable form.
I’ve done a number of writings since my Dad’s death in August. With the exception of a few sketches, this is the first writing about it that I’ve illustrated. It’s also my first autobiographical comic/zine! I’m just starting to get comfortable with the idea of doing more, so be on the look-out for that.
Post link
I’m so excited to finally share this little comic with you! When my dad died in 2015 it was difficult for me to make much art about it, but words poured out of me. I wrote journal entries and Facebook posts. I recorded stories and snippets of conversation. I sketched out ideas for future artwork, too. A couple of months into the grieving process it occurred to me that the perfect way to utilize all of this writing would be to create a graphic novel about his death. A few months later my mother’s cancer returned, and chemotherapy failed, and I slowly came to terms with the horrible reality that I would soon be losing my mother too. I produced more and more writing and sketches and took notes throughout the last year of her life, the numerous hospital visits and scares, my moving back home to take care of her and her entering home hospice. As awful as a lot of this time was, I don’t want to lose any of it. I don’t want to lose any part of my parents, good or bad. I also really want to share some of this experience with others so that those who haven’t had similar experiences can have more empathy towards those who have, and so that those who have can feel less alone.
For obvious reasons this has been a difficult project to work on. The writing was doable, but the artistic aspect can be painful. It’s hard making it all come to life again. But now, almost a year after my mother’s death, it is also really rewarding. This is one of many short stories that I intend to join together into one graphic novel detailing my life ages 25-28, including tales about me, my parents, their deaths, and what came after. I just applied to a comics residency abroad that will be a perfect opportunity for me to work on this project, so keep your fingers crossed! I’m also planning to apply to others though, so send me recommendations if you have them! Also let me know if you know of any publishers who would be interested in this project. I intend to keep working on it on my own regardless, but deadlines are always helpful!
I’m looking forward to sharing more of these stories with you <3.
Post link
Duchess of Cambridge calls on people to celebrate the work of Children’s Hospices
Duchess of Cambridge calls on people to celebrate the work of Children’s Hospices
In honour of Together for Short Lives’ Children’s Hospice Week, the Duchess of Cambridge has sent a personal message of support.
The Duchess is asking people to join her in celebrating the work done across the UK’s 54 children’s hospices – helping children and young people with life-limiting conditions as well as supporting their families.
Taking place from 20 – 26 June, the week is organised…
