Like any death, expected or not, it’s always sad. Today, I received the call I’ve received before. The call to inform me that our patient had died. Wednesday is the day we have visited her each week for the past seven months. We were preparing to head out for our visit when the call came in.
I certainly was not surprised that I was getting the call. In fact, as soon as I heard the volunteer director’s voice, I knew why she was calling. Her time had come. She had fought a very long, hard battle. The last several weeks had been very painful for her. But, through it all, she smiled at seeing James appear in the doorway of her room. Clearly, she received comfort in having him lie close to her as she lay, unable to move, in her bed.
She was the lady who on our first meeting gruffly announced, I only like cats! Then, grew to look forward to her boyfriend James – as she called him – coming to visit her each week. At the end of last week’s visit (which was the last time we would see her), she took my hand and said, I will be better next week. She surely is better now… I’m glad for her that she is now at rest and free of pain. She was a tough cookie who wouldn’t let too many people get through her hardened exterior. I’m thankful that James and I were among the few she let in – and that the visits from her only dog friend brought her joy. We will miss her…
Now, we wait for a different call… a call from the volunteer director telling us that there is a new hospice patient who would love a visit from a dog. James will be ready to go…
Leave a Reply