Every Sunday for the past several years, retiree Bill Lloyd volunteered at his favorite place in the world, the Navy Seal Museum, in Fort Pierce, Florida. Although not a veteran, he was the military’s biggest fan, explained his wife, Enedina: “We have a lot of family that’s in the military, and when we lived in (New) Jersey, we used to host veterans for Thanksgiving dinner. We always did things like that.”
When Bill became sick with cancer, all that changed. He became too weak to make the weekly sojourn and thought he’d never have the opportunity to visit again. Fortunately, he turned out to be wrong, but at the time, he couldn’t know that as all his energy was going into his fight to survive.
Initially, he was put in a hospital for treatment, and his health improved. He was then discharged, but his symptoms recurred, and he returned to the hospital. His oncologist wanted to try chemotherapy, but all Bill wanted to do was go home. After a few tests, his oncologist realized he was not a good candidate for this aggressive type of therapy and authorized his final discharge.
When Bill returned home, he went on hospice with the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA). “The VNA came to help me take care of him,” said Enedina. “It was unbelievable. There were aides and a social worker and even the doctor came the first time. Everybody was so nice.”
Bill’s hospice care included pain management, which is a cornerstone of VNA Hospice and was of the utmost importance to him – and his wife. “Bill could not swallow pills anymore and they had to give him liquid morphine and they told us what to do and how to keep him comfortable,” said a grateful Enedina.
During a visit, his social worker learned about his passion for the Navy Seal Museum and relayed that to the VNA Volunteer Department. In only a few days, the department organized a beautiful afternoon at the museum for Bill that included transporting him to and from the museum in a van that could accommodate the wheelchair that he relied on to move around. “All the guys that knew him were there and they had a little ceremony,” said Enedina. “It was beautiful.” Amanda Morgan, the VNA Volunteer Services Manager who helped organize the day, concurred. “The sparkle he had in his eyes when he arrived made for a great experience. The Navy Museum honored him and gave him a beautiful challenge coin that brought tears to everyone’s eyes,” said Amanda.
The afternoon was made possible through Project Wish, which grants end-of-life wishes to patients and is fully funded by donations. Project Wish is just one of many VNA & Hospice Foundation-supported programs, which include the VNA Hospice House, bereavement services, music therapy, Camp Chrysalis (for children who have lost a loved one), and the Mobile Health Clinic. All of these programs have one thing in common: to provide VNA patients with quality care regardless of their ability to pay.
Project Wish has provided countless numbers of VNA Hospice patients with great joy, including Bill. According to Enedina, Bill, who passed away a week after the outing, couldn’t have been happier with his wish, as was she. “It was amazing. And I couldn’t have done it without you guys,” she said. “People ask me who would you recommend. I’m like, the VNA. Everyone that walks through that door from the VNA is totally awesome.”
