STORIES OF LOVE: A SPECIAL GOODBYE
I whispered “Please hang on, be- cause I have a surprise for you.” The rest of the family had all left to prepare last-minute funeral arrangements when the prison transport arrived. The guards brought the son in through the back. He was shackled, cuffed, and heavily guarded. He begged the guards to give him some private time, but they refused. I explained that I was the manager, and I would stay with him. They could stand at door, and I would yell if he tried something crazy. Finally, they agreed. The young man talked to his mother about the happy times they had together. He sang songs that they’d sung when he was growing up, recalled special plac- es, recounted fun secrets, and told her how much he loved her. He held her hand the whole time. The guards knocked on the door and told him it was time to go. When he left, his mother had a
smile and radiant glow. She passed before they’d cleared the outside door. I was going to tell him but decided not to ruin such a special goodbye. Later that day, I went back to my office and cried. Submitted by Barbara Latham
I
have many stories to tell, but this one touched my life and comes to me of- ten. I was the manager at a small hospital in a small
town. We had received a woman on hospice who was dying of can- cer. The family could not bear to see her go, so she was admitted for respite. All her children were at her side, except for one son, who was in prison. Sometimes when people are dying, they will hang on, hoping to see someone one last time before passing. The prison had denied a request to let the son go home to see his mother. I went to the hospital administra- tor and explained the situation to him. We got on the phone to the warden, and finally was able to convince him to transport the son four hours from state prison.
MY LOVER DOVER
W
e’ve all fallen in love with a long- term patient. Not the roman- tic kind, but the
kind of love that gives everything to promote the best for the person you love. My story is of a child who was sent home in the mid 90’s on a ventilator. The hospital staff were certain she would need hospice, but instead she flourished. After a very slow weaning, she was able to get off the ventilator. As she was non-verbal, she began learning some sign language to
When I went back to my patient,
40 ELITE LEARNING
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