From her home of fifty-five years in Queens, New York, Hannabelle Waith reflects on what has made her life so wonderful, “My husband and my brothers and my sisters and my nieces and nephews. I’ve always had them around me.” With the support of hospice care, Waith is able to remain in her home surrounded by the people and memories she loves.
She shares her story in a new video, “Hannabelle’s Wonderful Life,” that is part of Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice, a national engagement campaign from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
Waith was told she would need to undergo surgery because of her failing heart. Yet after talks with her doctors, it was clear that further curative care would not extend her life and continued treatments could involve discomfort and hospitalization. This was not how she wanted to experience the final chapter of a life well-lived – so she chose hospice care at home.
With the help of her team from VNSNY Hospice and Palliative Care, she is able to remain in her home and live the rest of her days comfortably on her own terms.
This holiday season, her circle of loved ones includes a ‘hospice family’ as well as her many relations and friends. Her hospice team includes a nurse, social worker, home health aide, and a volunteer.
“They have made life so much easier for us,” says her great niece and one of her family caregivers Hannah Morgan-Childs in describing the VNSNY hospice team.
Waith sums it up this way: “They are so helpful and enlightening and always right here for me. I tell you… I just can’t describe how I feel, how they make me feel. It’s just so wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.”
“The choice to take advantage of hospice care does not mean life is over,” said J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO. “Hospice brings more life to every day and by sharing her story, Hannabelle will help many people understand the benefits of hospice earlier in the course of an illness.”
Learn more about how hospice can provide comfort for you or a loved one, or visit the Moments of Life website to find a local hospice provider.
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