Each time Steve walks into his living room, he’s met with a powerful reminder on the plaque atop his credenza: Never, never, never give up, it reads.
Steve knows a thing or two about perseverance. He stood beside his wife, Sandy, for 47 beautiful years — through the good days and the much, much harder days. Sandy had battled cancer numerous times in her life; it just kept coming back.
Eventually, Sandy needed a level of care that Steve alone could no longer provide. He admits he didn’t know much about hospice at the time. At one point, he might have even considered it a form of giving up.
He now knows it was anything but the end. He learned it meant comfort, care and support. It meant a better quality of life for Sandy and for him. It meant honoring Sandy’s wish to remain in her home at the end of her life.
Even after Sandy’s passing, the Avera@Home team still checks on Steve. They bring him food. They sit and talk with him. He considers them like family — a Godsend, he says.
In just one year, our team at Avera@Home has driven 1,912,096 miles to provide compassionate hospice care to nearly 50,000 patients like Sandy in their homes. This meaningful work is made possible by supporters like you, who help ensure that no one faces their final days without the comfort and dignity they deserve.
