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Patients, Donors, Volunteers, and Staff Share Their Stories

VNA Care's mission is to provide the right care with kindness and compassion every day for every person we serve. We'll be sharing stories here about the ways our mission has made a difference in the lives of our patients and their loved ones, and what it means to our staff, volunteers, and donors who make this important work possible.

 

Hospice RN Guides Patients, Families through Life’s Final Chapter

When Annie O’Connor, RN, CHPN, meets a new hospice patient, she often shares a surprising fact: People with terminal illnesses often live longer with hospice care than those with similar illnesses who don’t elect hospice. (read more) 

 

Occupational Therapist Dedicated to Helping Patients Get Their Lives Back

There’s one sight guaranteed to make Georgia Menard, OTR/L, smile as she drives from one patient’s home to the next — spotting a former patient on a daily walk around town when they were previously confined to home and reliant on supplemental oxygen. (read more) 

 

Volunteer Makes a Difference in the Lives of Patients, Families During End-of-Life Journey

Volunteering with VNA Care’s hospice program has been part of Debbie Krieg’s life for more than two decades. Those years have given her the opportunity to get to know many wonderful people in our community who would otherwise never have come into her life. (read more) 

 

VNA Care Helps Home Health Patient Defy the Odds After Cardiac Arrest

Ronald Walsh’s comeback from a severe heart attack and cardiac arrest was nothing short of a miracle. Only 10% of people survive a cardiac arrest (when the heart stops beating) outside a hospital setting. Ron had been at home asleep when the unthinkable happened. (read more) 

 

Hospice Team Supports Brain Cancer Patient in Living on Her Terms

Michael Malone remembers the day he moved his wife Heidi Brenke-Malone to the Rose Monahan Hospice Home. It was the beginning of Heidi’s last adventure — one that she chose knowing her time was limited. “Heidi was fearless and brave in everything she did,” remembered Michael. “She was very outgoing, and people loved her.” (read more) 

 

Visiting Nurse Makes a Difference Every Day Through Compassionate Care

When Domingo Luna was referred to VNA Care after an above-the-knee leg amputation, his paperwork read, “Must have Elia.” There was no one he trusted more than Elia Borges, RN, to help him recover from such life-changing surgery. A registered nurse with VNA Care for nearly a decade, Elia’s sharp clinical skills had quite possibly saved Domingo’s life just weeks before. (read more) 

 

IV Nurse Specialist Combines Love of Teaching and Patient Care to Help People Regain Their Health

Christine Doherty, BSN, RN, was a visiting nurse for nearly a decade when she decided to promote her patients’ health and independence in a new way — by stepping into a crucial role at VNA Care that would transform her career and the lives of countless patients. (read more) 

 

Patient Defies All Expectations, Learns to Walk Again with VNA Care

One doctor after another told Diane Bowers that she would probably never walk again. Complications from surgery to repair a life-threatening, leaking artery in her abdomen as well as low blood pressure during recovery are thought to have contributed to damage and weakness in her spine. (read more) 

 

VNA Care’s Hospice Team “Simply Amazing” as They Help Family Navigate End-Stage Alzheimer’s with Nursing, Social Work, and Other Supports

Marie Leduc’s only wish was to remain at home with her family as she faced Alzheimer’s disease. It was the same wish she and her family fulfilled for her own mother, Rose, when she received the same shattering diagnosis. (read more) 

 

Couple Finds Extraordinary Care and Support at the Rose Monahan Hospice Home

Dennis Asselin accepted an opening at the Rose Monahan Hospice Home sight unseen for his wife Dolores “Dolly” Wright-Asselin. He knew the residence only by reputation, having spoken to several people whose loved ones had received exceptional end-of-life care there. (read more) 

 

A Life Dedicated to Service: From the Air Force to VNA Care's Nursing Team

Jennifer Hurley’s patients are often surprised to learn that the visiting nurse caring for them spent nearly seven years serving our country in the United States Air Force. A career in the military hadn’t been on Jennifer’s radar when she graduated from a vocational high school as a certified nursing assistant. She loved caring for patients, but 9/11 compelled her to take a different path. (read more) 

 

Volunteer Dedicates Over a Decade to Supporting and Honoring Terminally Ill Veterans

Ken Bergeron has met amazing people during his 14 years as a VNA Care hospice volunteer. Many are fellow veterans with whom he finds a near instantaneous connection. (read more) 

 

Family Takes Comfort in the Wonderful Care Provided to Their Father at the Rose Monahan Hospice Home and Gives Back in his Memory

One of Edward Bergman’s fondest memories of his father William was pulling into the driveway of the family home and seeing his dad sitting in the garage with the door open, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air and watching the world pass by. “He would offer us a chair to sit with him, and many times our conversations would turn to topics of his life. He would frequently tell us that he felt so blessed and thankful to have his wonderful family and friends,” shared Edward. (read more) 

 

Retiree Calls VNA Care a “Godsend” for Getting her Health Back on Track

Suzanne Lolar was in a state of despair after surgery to move her colostomy upended her life and left her at a loss for how to move forward. She soon found hope and comfort in VNA Care’s visiting nurses. (read more) 

 

Former Engineer Finds Fulfillment as RN Caring for People at the End of Life

Although Oya Celik, RN, BSN, CHPN, occasionally finds herself wondering what her life would have been like if she continued working as an engineer, there is no doubt in her mind that nursing is her true life’s calling. “I have a deep passion for helping others and making a positive impact in their lives. Nursing allows me to provide support and care to patients and their families during their most challenging times,” said Oya. (read more) 

 

Speech-Language Pathologist Dedicated to Helping Patients Find Ways to do Things They Never Thought They'd do Again

By the time patients with stroke, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and other debilitating conditions are under the care of Danielle Gordon, MS, SLP, they’ve often heard about all the things they will never be able to do again. “Maybe they aren’t going to talk the same way as before. Maybe they aren’t going to eat the same way as before. Speech-language pathologists play a big role in reassuring people that you’re going to be able to do these things again, but it’s just going to be a little different,” said Danielle. (read more) 

 

Home Health RN Honored to be Welcomed into Patients' Homes and Their Lives

Heather Bliss, RN, and her sister have both dedicated their careers to nursing. They often find themselves comparing their experiences — Heather in home health care at VNA Care and her sister in an emergency room. (read more) 

 

RN Inspired to Make Career Change After Seeing the Impact of Hospice Firsthand

Hospice care is available wherever someone calls home, including the long-term care facility where Andy Binder, RN, once worked. “I saw the difference when hospice came into the nursing home and how those patients were more comfortable at the end of life. That got me interested in a career in hospice,” said Andy. (read more) 

 

Occupational Therapist Loves Helping Patients Thrive at Home

When Heather O’Hare, OTR/L, introduces herself to patients as their occupational therapist, there’s often confusion about her role and comments from retirees that they no longer have an occupation. “To those patients, I say we describe every activity as an occupation. Bathing is an occupation. Getting dressed is an occupation. Those activities are meaningful tasks we do to complete our day,” said Heather. (read more) 

 

Former Board Chair Leaves a Legacy of Caring for the Community

John Talbourdet remembers his mother Carolyn as a tireless advocate for local causes, giving countless hours to improve the lives of vulnerable community members. VNA Care’s mission was of particular importance to Carolyn. She volunteered on the board of directors for many years and included a bequest to VNA Care in her will to promote access to vital, home-based health care services for all in need. (read more) 

 

Hospice Making it Possible for Marine Corps Veteran to Remain at Home

As Edward Hatch enlisted in the Marines in 1965, he asked a sergeant if he’d get to travel. He laughs as he remembers the sergeant’s response, “I guarantee it.” Ed was deployed to Vietnam. His tour of duty included fighting in the Tet Offensive, one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. Decades later, Ed and his wife Maureen are facing the aftermath of his service — exposure to the toxic chemical Agent Orange used by the United States military to clear foliage during the war. (read more) 

 

Couple Turns to VNA Care for Cardiac Care While Recovering from Left Ventricular Assist Device Surgery and Awaiting Heart Transplant

VNA Care’s clinicians treat patients with thousands of unique diagnoses each year. Edward Boynton’s is among the rarest. Ed underwent surgery to implant a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in his chest to help his heart continue pumping blood while he awaits a heart transplant. (read more) 

 

Behind the Scenes with Visiting Nurse Freida Gathingo, RN

Freida Gathingo, RN, firmly believes there’s no place like home for people to heal and nurses to grow both professionally and personally. With more than two decades of nursing experience in a variety of settings, Freida joined VNA Care two years ago and is among the clinicians recognized in the Thanks for Caring Society. (read more) 

 

Archive

Delve into more stories from VNA Care's patients and families, donors, volunteers, and staff. (read more)