I work in a law office for four attorneys during the day and while I love my job and especially the people I work with, my passion is what I do outside of work during the early morning hours, evening hours and/or weekends when the need arises. While people tell me I’m an Angel for doing this, I feel just the opposite. I have been rewarded over and over again not by what I do but by the people I meet.
Let me explain what I do…I have been a volunteer for an amazing program called NODA (No One Dies Alone) which enables me to have the privilege to visit/sit with patients in Hospice who are all alone for whatever the reason.
Sometimes it entails me reading to them, playing soft, comforting music, talking to them, citing scripture, sitting with them quietly but most important, letting them know that they are not alone and someone is there for them and with them during this incredibly difficult time in their life. As you can imagine, one
never knows what to expect as each situation is quite different.
Upon entering the 6 th floor of the hospital (The “Hospice Floor”) common practice is to go directly to the nurse’s station to get directions on which patient(s) I am going to sit with and what room number they are in so I can begin my visitation.
A few weeks ago I went to the Nurse’s station and was directed to a patient’s room but when I arrived, to my surprise (and delight) this particular patient had a visitor sitting on a chair. I say “to my delight” as this meant this patient would not be alone (at least for the time being). I asked the visitor if they needed anything or if I could be of help and they politely declined and said they would be there all night.
I walked back to the nurse’s station to report the patient had someone there and they apologized for the mix-up and asked if I could possibly visit with another patient on the same floor since I was already at the hospital. I gladly accepted and I was given the room number for this supposedly “elderly lady in her 90’s” and proceeded to walk toward her room.
It should be noted that 90% of the Hospice patients I have seen are not visibly “awake” but are laying in bed with their eyes closed and seem to be sleeping. Some are breathing erratically and some are quite still and quiet. Every situation is different.
Upon entering this lady’s room, not knowing what to expect, I was surprised to find her sitting up in a chair, grey hair neatly combed in a bun at the top of her head, well groomed but most important, she had the biggest smile that lit up the room when I walked in to see her!
I introduced myself and asked if it would be okay if I visited with her for a little while or if this was a bad time. To protect the innocent, I will call this lady “Billie”. Billie immediately responded with “Yes, of course, of course you can visit!” and that began what I deem to be a meeting of a lifetime!
Let me tell you about this incredible lady, Billie.
Billie and I talked for quite a while as she proudly told me all about herself, including her kids, grandkids, sisters, ex-husband and others. She told me with a smile on her face how she used to be a nurse in her “younger” days and described that part of her life. She had an absolutely fascinating “story” to tell and was more than willing to share it with me, a total stranger and I was more than willing to listen as she was so warm, kind and sincere.
At one point while we were conversing I noticed Billie had a machine attached to her and the machine was spinning around as if it were malfunctioning. I asked Billie if she were okay and she looked embarrassed and said “I think I had an accident.” I told her all was fine and I would be back in a minute after I got a nurse to help us out.
I rapidly walked to the nurse’s station, explained what transpired and asked for some assistance before I proceeded to walk back to Billie’s room. While waiting for Billie’s nurse (we’ll call her “Malvena” for a lack of a better name), Billie looked embarrassed but I assured her accidents happen all the time and it was no big deal. She looked nervous and I again reassured her that all was okay.
Something didn’t sit right with me the way Billie looked at that moment but I let it pass thinking she was probably just embarrassed.
Malvena hastily entered the room seemingly upset, approached Billie and tore off the sheet that was laying across her legs. Both Billie and I were shocked at how abrupt Malvena was but neither of us said anything (at that point). I didn’t want Billie to be embarrassed any further and I wanted to give her some privacy so I told her I would be leaving for the night but would return the next day.
Billie looked sad that I was going and I could tell she wasn’t sure I would return so she grabbed my hand and thanked me for visiting with her. We both smiled and I left for the night.
While driving home from the hospital I could not get the incident out of my head and felt there may be something more to this nurse “Malvena”. I prayed Billie would be okay.
As promised, I returned to Billie the following day and the minute I walked into her room she, again, had the biggest smile on her face. It literally warmed your heart! She said “You came back! You came back, Lynn!” I told her she “couldn’t get rid of me that quickly” and we both laughed. Her laugh was one of those contagious laughs which was beautiful. I sat down and we had yet another wonderful conversation face-to-face.
What happened next bothered me so much. My intuition was right about Malvena, the nurse. Billie looked me in the eyes during our conversation and asked if she could tell me something. I nodded affirmatively and said “you can tell me anything your little heart desires”. She went on to confide in me that this nurse (Malvena) who was there yesterday has been very abusive towards Billie. I asked her to explain what transpired and she described the ordeal of the other day wherein this nurse was upset that Billie had an accident in the chair and had to change her and clean up the chair which Billie was on.
Billie then went on to tell me in great detail how this nurse made Billie lay in bed (even though Billie wanted to sit up in the chair as it was more comfortable for her) and then the nurse SLAMMED Billie’s legs down on the bed. (Please note that Billie had leg compression air bags on both legs as she had circulation problems among other medical issues).
Billie went on to show me (and she was very descriptive and was quite accurate as she had all her faculties intact) how this nurse slammed her legs down on the bed. I could not believe what I was hearing! Billie then said looking down towards the bed, “Lynn, I don’t know what I did to deserve that and I was up all night wondering why she was so mean to me and what could I possibly have done to deserve that.”
I was mortified, livid and couldn’t let this go. I reassured Billie that she did absolutely nothing wrong and to try to think of something positive – NOT nurse Malvena.
I said my good-byes to Billie for the night and promised her I would be back the next day. She looked sad that I was going but took hold of my hand and gently kissed it. She then said “I don’t know you well but you are special and I love you.” With tears welling up in my eyes, I told her she reminded me of my mom and she had a spirit about her that was so, so special.
We hugged each other (for the longest hug as she would not let go first) and I told her I loved her, too, and I meant it.
After exiting Billie’s room, I immediately asked for the charge nurse and had a lengthy conversation with her about what Billie told me transpired with nurse Malvena. This charge nurse told me “Malvena has a reputation of being abrupt with patients” and I was stunned!
This nurse who works on the hospice floor is abrupt with patients, the staff knows it and she is still working there with hospice patients? Something is wrong
with this picture! The charge nurse was more than understanding and I know it was genuine as she had tears in her eyes as I was describing the ordeal while my tears started to slowly fall down my cheeks.
To make a long story short (too late, right?), the charge nurse assured me that Malvena would not be allowed to care for Billie anymore (if “care” is the right word) and another nurse would be assigned to Billie. I made sure there would be no repercussions by Malvena if she knew Billie exposed her ruthless, abusive behavior and again, I was promised there would be no repercussions.
The following afternoon I visited with Billie and assured her that Malvena would no longer be abusing her and she need not worry about that woman anymore. I told her the matter was taken care of and she could relax and not worry about a thing. Billie looked at me and was about to cry!
She asked how I did that and I told her I had “special magical powers” and we both laughed. She hugged me and could not stop thanking me. What broke my heart was thinking about this poor woman, nearing the end of her life, being abused by her nurse and being scared to death to say anything for fear of retaliation from the nurse that was abusing her!
I can’t tell you how mad this made me feel (and still does). This should never, ever happen!
For anyone reading this…I BEG YOU…if you know of someone (whether elderly or not; whether in Hospice or not) that is being abused, PLEASE report that person as nobody deserves to be abused…especially not an elderly woman during what could be the last few days of her life!
I could not stop thinking about “Malvena” and her demeanor and horrific attitude towards a patient. If she did this to Billie, how many other patients did she do this to that were scared to say anything? If she’s this upset working on the hospice floor, why not get another job where she would be more content and not abuse the patients?
After our visit, I left and came back about five days later as I wanted to give Billie time alone with her relatives who were in from out-of-town. I entered her room and met her daughter, grandson, sisters from Arizona and Alabama who were all there crowding around sweet Billie. Billie’s daughter looked at me and said “You must be Lynn!” and I smiled and said “well, yes, I am!” and she said “we have heard so many things about you and we want to thank you.” I was touched beyond words.
I told her “I should be the one thanking you for having such a remarkable, loving, special lady in your life”. Billie heard me and reached across the bed, took
my hand and kissed me and said in front of everyone “I love you.”
People tell me I’m special for doing what I do but between you and I…the interaction with Billie is why I do what I do. I cannot describe how special I felt that this amazing woman considered me a friend in such a short period of time, trusted me enough to confide in me and tell me what was going on and treated me like I was her long-lost buddy. I feel honored to be Billie’s friend and a part of her life and wouldn’t trade that for anything in this world.
This is precisely why I volunteer. I, personally, feel life is about giving to others. It doesn’t have to entail huge gifts or monetary things. It can be as simple as giving someone a smile or holding a door open for someone. It can be looking out for others who can’t look out for themselves. It can be complimenting a total stranger and making their day.
In this case one cannot put a price tag on receiving friendship such as I have with Billie. I will never forget this precious woman and will cherish the short time we spent together for the rest of my life however long or short that may be. Even though I only knew her for a few weeks, it felt like a lifetime and she made a huge difference in my life. Thank you, Miss Billie.
I love you.
For more information about the NODA program, please see this link.
Thank you.
For the May 30, 2026 class –
https://link.edgepilot.com/s/790bf23f/yy6NeTF67kWRzB2mhOBeiw?u=
http://www.onlineregistrationcenter.com/NODA0426
NODA May 30 2026
Flyer.pdf
About the Author:
LRosenthal563@aol.com
Lynn Rosenthal is a Detroit-area freelance writer who has spent three decades in the legal field. She is married to George Hunter who has covered crime for The Detroit News for over two decades.
Rosenthal and her husband co-authored “The Sadist, The Hitman and the Murder of Jane Bashara, a true-crime book about a man who had his wife killed so he could live his BDSM lifestyle.
Rosenthal also wrote “Promises of Pennies from Heaven” which is about one woman’s journey of pain and perseverance after losing her mother and father in the space of two years.
Rosenthal had also written for The Detroit Jewish News and ehospice.com.
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