“Their journey is not without difficulty, and yet they continue to remain determined and resilient,” said Chaplain Teresa McClennon prior to Saturday’s release. “This mirrors our own journey through grief. Like the butterfly, we too are on a path that at times may feel long and difficult, yet we press on carrying the memories of our loved ones as we move forward.”
Juan Blanks lost her mother, Lynn Moore, to pancreatic cancer in April.
Moore, 72 at the time of her death, was diagnosed just over a year prior. After chemotherapy treatments proved ineffective, Moore spent her final days in the care of Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton.
“It was really great; everyone at hospice took care of us,” Blanks said. “Within those seven days, they fed me, took care of my mom, and were so hospitable, always checking on me throughout the day.”
Blanks, 39, of Dayton, said she and her family, which is big — over 150 family members passed through the hospice doors throughout that week — were warmly welcomed.
“They were so accommodating to my family; I hardly left the building during that week, so they would feed me and make sure I had what I needed,” she said. “Sometimes, I’d come back to the room and there would be food waiting for me, and my bed would already be made for the night.”
Christi Gormican lost her father, Ronald Hale, to pancreatic cancer in 2021.
Hale was 72 at the time of his death and spent just hours under hospice care.
“His health declined really fast, but I’m so glad we were able to get him into this facility,” Gormican said, noting that Hospice of Dayton immediately stepped in to ensure that Hale was taken care of, even in death.
“Even though he passed soon after getting here, they still gave him the veteran pinning that’s given to all patients who have served,” she said.
Gormican’s mother is now receiving hospice care for Lewy body dementia.
Gormican said she made sure her mom was signed up for hospice care as soon as she became eligible to ensure she could live out her life as comfortably as possible.
“Of course, we want to do everything we can to get more days with our loved ones, but are those days going to be joyful? I would say a way to look at hospice care is having quality over quantity,” she said.
Gormican said that hospice care also gives power and autonomy back to the patient.
“For our loved ones, it’s giving them the ability to have choices,” she said. “They are given a death sentence and there’s nothing they can do about it, so giving them death with dignity, and options they may not have had when they got their diagnosis, is huge.”
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