Patient Stories
We are honored to share stories of how the generous gifts of our donors help patients and families in real and tangible ways at the time when they most need it.
Patient Stories
Liz and Lenny
Liz and Lenny moved to Michigan seeking better treatment for Lenny. It wasn’t even a few months before they found out that instead of treatments, they were going to be starting the Hospice journey.
It all happened so fast. They got Lenny home and Liz had to go off work to care for him full time.
They han’dt anticipated the financial burden so soon. Lenny talked about how he didn’t want to leave his wife with a huge bill for his cremation. The thought of not being here to help her was creating uneasy feelings of financial stress.
That’s when his social worker, Amanda P., reached out to the Foundation to see if we could help. The Hospice Foundation was able to make sure that the funds for cremation were available to her when that time came. Lenny could rest easy on his last days knowing that this wasn’t something she was going to have to deal with. Through the generous support of Elara Caring Hospice Foundation donors, they were able to enjoy their final days together in peace.
Ron and Hilda
Without a normal shower for 6 months, his skin was itching and in pain. Ron needed to feel the warm water beating down on him again.
Hilda and Ron have been caring for each other for 15 years but with his health declining the last 10 years have been focused on Ron. They moved into a home that needed renovation for Ron to be able to move around in his motorized wheelchair. This exhausted all their funds making it hard to get him the shower that he so desperately needed.
Ron wanted to do this for himself. He didn’t want to be watched while showering or have his wife give him a sponge bath. He wanted to shower alone and gain his dignity back.
Al, Ron’s social worker at Elara Caring helped Ron and Hilda find the funding through the Hospice Foundation and other grant resources so that he could get a roll in shower, giving him his independence.
He is now able to have a moment of solitude, where he can forget about his ailments and feel normal again.
