Literature Review

Hospice volunteer donates 10,000 gift cards to cancer patients AZ Family - CBS-5, Phoenix, AZ; by Tianna Morimoto; 5/20/25 One Valley man has made a difference in times of need for those who may be losing hope by donating thousands of gift cards, and that’s Something Good. Jeff Lewis volunteers with Hospice of the Valley and was recently recognized for donating 10,000 grocery gift cards to help cancer patients in need. Jeff is a cancer survivor and has made it his mission to help those going through treatments with no family or support. He created a nonprofit called the Froth and Bubble Foundation. Every month, the foundation provides gift cards to more than 100 people in the Valley who are struggling financially. Often, these patients have to decide between paying for food, medicine or doctor bills, and these gift cards can help them with their bills or other necessities to survive. ... “These gift cards help families bridge the gap when they need food and are juggling bills and feeling stressed,” said Hospice of the Valley Executive Director Debbie Shumway. “He is a servant leader who quietly gives back and makes a huge difference, one person at a time.” Thank you, Jeff, for all you do to help others!

Sixteen years with leukemia taught me to savor life Cure; by Michelle Lawrence; 5/21/25 I’ve lived with large granular lymphocytic leukemia for 16 years and have learned to spend my energy wisely, embrace palliative care and choose joy over anger. ... It has been an exhausting journey, but I am blessed to have survived 16 years. ... In the beginning, I didn't care; I told everyone because I was treatment-focused, but now I am focused on quality of life. Cancer has robbed me repeatedly. Peers and family members are married and have careers and families. They plan birthday parties and playdates and worry about their kids’ homework. I celebrate the fact that I could take a shower and get dressed by myself. I grieve for those missed opportunities. ... I have recently, in the past couple of years, transitioned into palliative care, a choice I never dreamed of ever making. ... I am a survivor — I am more than my diagnosis. I am not Michelle, the cancer patient; I am Michelle who has cancer. ...

‘Don’t be sad. I’ve had a great life’: John Shakespeare on the art of livingOur Community Now; by Peter FitzSimons; 5/18/25 JS [John Shakespeare]: I’m a realist at heart, Pete, and once I know that something is irreversible I have no choice but to accept it. There is a certain sense of peace that comes from acceptance. It eliminates the need to ask “why me?” and “if only”. Fitz: I have been told, wonderfully, that since that outpouring of love for you last Friday, there has been a small uptick in your prognosis?JS: Haha, I think I just had a big adrenaline rush from that one! Hard not to feel better with 209 people you love, in turn, lining up to hug you! ... [ More dialogue]Fitz: What you are going through will soon enough confront all of us, as we come face to face with our mortality. What advice do you have for us? JS: My motto is “accept, adjust, adapt”. The key is to be able to accept something that can’t be changed. Only then will you find some peace. Otherwise, it will be a battle with the unmovable. Sort out your financials so that your family will be as secure as possible, and that will give yourself a sense of relief to carry into your final days. Have as much fun as your energy levels allow!

Finding her strength in silence: CSU Pueblo student graduates twice, carring her mother's dream Colorado State University Pueblo, Pueblo, CO; by Soni Brinsko; 5/14/25 The porch was still new when the professors arrived that late November evening. Hand-laid tiles, each one carefully placed by a father during what should have been vacation time. He’d built it for his wife so she could sit outside, feel the Colorado breeze one more time. That night, the porch became something else entirely. It became a stage for a graduation ceremony that wasn’t supposed to happen until May. Alondra Solis Ayala is about to walk across the commencement stage at Colorado State University Pueblo this week. It will be her second graduation. The first one happened in her family’s living room, with her dying mother watching from a chair, too weak to stand but strong enough to declare “esa es mi hija”—that’s my daughter—as faculty members in full regalia handed over a diploma cover and stole in what became an impromptu, deeply personal ceremony.

Team work makes the dream work for hospice veteran Veterans Administration, VA.gov; by Douglas A. Etter; 5/12/25 When Marine Corps Veteran Ivson Shelley came to the Lebanon VA Medical Center for a follow-up visit with his oncologist, Suhail Ali, MD, the staff was concerned about how much the former New York resident had declined since his last appointment. They didn’t think he could be cared for at home any longer, so a decision was made with the family to admit him to the medical center’s hospice unit Thursday afternoon. Once there, the Marine shared a heartfelt wish with the staff – he wanted to marry his lifelong love, Wanda Rivera. The couple had dated more than 50 years ago and rekindled their relationship 10 years ago. Upon hearing the Vietnam Veteran’s wish, the VA team, lead by Hospice Nurse Manager Jessica Himes, RN and Hospice Social Worker, Erin Miller, MSW, LCSW quickly came together to make it happen. Palliative care nurse Melissa Buchinski, RN began to research what the requirements were to secure a marriage license for the couple. ... [Continue reading this inspirational story.]

[United Kingdom] Wife to walk across island for late husband BBC News; 5/11/25 The wife of a gardener who died of cancer is preparing to walk across the Isle of Wight in his memory. Debs Goodenough will be taking part in the Walk the Wight challenge in aid of the Mountbatten Hospice. She said it was an opportunity to honour her husband Simon, while also supporting the hospice which cared for her and her family. ... Mr. Goodenough was a gardener known for his work on Ventnor Botanical Gardens, but he also created a garden for the hospice. ... Mrs. Goodenough will be walking 26.5miles (42.6km) across the island with her sons Rory and Jake. ... The annual Walk the Wight challenge has been running for 35 years and supports the hospice by raising money for patients and the families it cares for. More than 6,500 people are expected to take part, and Mrs. Goodenough has spent the past three months training for the event. ... "The day Simon died, we had a little walk and it was two miles, and I promised Simon I would support the hospice, and my sons said 'If you want to Walk the Wight we'll do it with you'."

[New Zealand] Nelson Airport Trees of Remembrance returns with new sponsorship tiers to support Nelson Tasman Hospice Nelson Tasman Hospice, Nelson, New Zealand; Press Release; 5/9/25 The much-loved Nelson Airport Trees of Remembrance activation is returning this holiday season, offering businesses a unique opportunity to give back to the community while boosting their brand visibility during the busiest travel period of the year. This year’s campaign introduces an exciting new structure with three sponsorship tiers—Gold, Silver, and Bronze—allowing even more businesses to take part in this heartwarming tradition that supports Nelson Tasman Hospice. The Trees of Remembrance campaign has been a cherished part of the Nelson Tasman community for over 30 years, offering individuals and businesses a meaningful way to honour loved ones while contributing to free hospice services. Sponsored Christmas trees will once again illuminate Nelson Airport from December 2025 through January 2026, spreading festive cheer to the thousands of locals and travellers passing through during the holiday season.Editor's note: Fall/Winter fund raising plans are surely underway for nonprofit hospices and foundations. What ideas does this article generate? What might you adapt for your community? 

Dying ‘Beautifully’ in the Rio Grande Valley: Rivera-Burciaga embeds end-of-life nursing into UTRGV curriculum: National Nurses Week is May 6-12 UTRGV, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley - The Newsroom, Rio Grande Valley, TX; by Karen Villarreal; 5/9/25 Death, for the most part, makes people uncomfortable. But not UTRGV’s Dr. Andrya Rivera-Burciaga.  After a personal loss early in her nursing career drove her to seek advanced certification in hospice and palliative care, she has made it her life’s work to normalize conversations about death and dying.   ... While Rivera-Burciaga’s efforts successfully have woven palliative care into the UTRGV nursing curriculum, her Ph.D. research on the unique cultural perspective of death and dying among Mexican Americans aims to further tailor the care that nurses provide to end-of-life patients in South Texas.  ... Through clinical interviews, Rivera-Burciaga found that many individuals of the Mexican American culture are afraid to die – despite engaging in Día de los Muertos, a celebration of death every November. “We've built a compassionate community for the dying, yet we don't say it by name. Many Mexican Americans in the United States believe that to talk about death invites it. Or, that we don't have time to be depressed, or that even in mourning men don't cry,” she said.

HOSPICE: Children’s book written by Manheim Township mother finally published 3 years after she died of cancer LNP Lancaster Online, Lancaster, PA; by John Walk; 1/27/25  As she battled a rare sarcoma cancer over the last two years of her life, Manheim Township resident Ginny McCreary struggled to find a children’s book she could read to her two young daughters to help them better understand what she was going through. So McCreary wrote the book herself, sometimes on a smartphone while laying in bed late at night, ... McCreary died Aug. 15, 2021. She was 34. She left behind a self-published manuscript of the children’s book that sat idle for about two years but was not forgotten. ... The book has also made its way inside four Hospice & Community Care locations in Lancaster as well as Penn Medicine’s Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute in East Hempfield Township. [Video with Ginny's mother] "I'd love to get it to some cancer centers and hospice centers ..." 

'I've already had my miracle': 26-year-old Savannah mom enters hospice care with only weeks to live ABC WJCL 22 News, Savannah, GA; by Savannah Younger; 12/4/24, posted in our newsletter on As the holiday season begins, Sara Long, a 26-year-old Savannah woman, is entering hospice care after a prolonged battle with kidney failure. Now the wife and mother is preparing to say her final goodbyes to family and friends. "I wanted to make sure that everything's kind of ready to go for when family visits and all that kind of stuff," Long said. "So, I just want to make things as easy as possible for everybody." Long has been told she has two to three weeks left to live and is now preparing her family for her passing. ... Their daughter, Riley, 4, is too young to understand what is happening, but Long is creating a hope chest so Riley can always remember her. "There are probably dozens, if not hundreds, of letters at this point, to open at different various points in her life. So, like her first day of school all through, or a graduate degree, potentially," Long said. "I feel like I've already had my miracle," Sara said. "I feel like Riley is my miracle. ..."Editor's note: Sara Long died sooner than expected, just 8 days later on December 12, 2024. Click here for the moving message from her husband, describing her death, paired with the video from December 4th. Click here for an additional "exclusive" interview from People magazine with Sara, describing her decision to enter hospice care.

To the brink and back: How near-death experiences can change how people work The Conversation; by Adauri.AI; 5/5/25 What happens when someone comes close to death and then returns to everyday life, including work? For some, the experience can be transformative. ... Although near-death experiences (NDEs) have been studied since the 1970s, we know relatively little about how they affect people after the event. Research suggests people who have near-death experiences may feel increased empathy, spiritual growth, a sense of purpose and even change how they approach their jobs. Our recent study explored how near-death experiences impact people’s return to work. We interviewed 14 working adults who had a near-death experience as a result of medical crises such as a heart attack or accidents such as a car crash. What we found challenges conventional ideas about success, motivation and workplace culture.

Community gathers for special BHS graduation ceremony at CT Hospice Zip06 - Shore Publishing, New London, CT; by Jenn McCulloch; 5/2/25In a powerful display of love and unity, members of the Branford community recently rallied together to create a heartfelt, early graduation ceremony for Branford High School (BHS) senior, Michael Radziunas, whose mother, Kathleen, courageously battled glioblastoma for more than a year. As her health began to decline, friends and family quietly voiced the same hope: that she would be able to witness her son’s graduation. ... In a phone call filled with emotion and urgency, two close friends discussed taking photos of him in his cap and gown to share with his mother, but the simple idea soon grew into something much more meaningful — an early graduation ceremony. Upon reaching out to BHS administration, Principal Lee Panagoulias immediately offered to present Radziunas with his diploma in a private ceremony, setting a plan in motion. The graduation took place just two days later on April 24 on the picturesque grounds of Connecticut Hospice. With Radziunas donning his graduation cap and gown, as well as honors cords; family, friends, hospice personnel, and BHS staff gathered to watch Panagoulias present him with his diploma.

Safe Harbor Estate Law launches “Dignity Drive” to support Minnesota hospice patients during Elder Law Month The Luverne Journal, PR Underground; 5/1/25 In recognition of May as Elder Law Month, Safe Harbor Estate Law is proud to announce the launch of the Safe Harbor Dignity Drive, a community-wide campaign to collect clean, comfortable clothing and comfort items for hospice patients facing end-of-life care with limited resources. Inspired by conversations with their partners at St. Croix Hospice, Safe Harbor learned that many patients spend their final days without appropriate clothing—often due to significant weight loss, mobility challenges, or a lack of support. Soft, well-fitting clothing can provide warmth, dignity, and peace during an incredibly sacred time. “We believe everyone deserves to feel respected and cared for—especially in their final days,” said Margaret Barrett, founder of Safe Harbor Estate Law. “The Dignity Drive is our way of helping ensure no one spends those moments without the basic comfort of clean, cozy clothing.”