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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.”

Heidi embraced her new surroundings, and warmly greeted all the clinicians and volunteers who’d support the couple in the coming months. Michael helped her settle into her home-like private room. Large windows and a balcony opened to the picturesque grounds and Worcester’s Coes Pond.

“She absolutely loved it there,” said Michael.

At age 56, Heidi had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer with an average survival time of just 12 to 15 months after diagnosis. She quickly bounced back after surgery that removed most of the tumor. Although she could no longer work or drive, Michael said she could function almost normally.

Eleven months later, a new tumor appeared, but Heidi’s oncologist wasn’t ready to give up on treatment. Heidi underwent a second successful surgery, but the tumor returned in May 2024 and was growing aggressively. Surgery and other treatments would no longer make a difference.

Heidi’s condition had deteriorated to the point that she shouldn’t be left on her own. Michael needed to continue working, so they put a plan in place. One of Heidi’s cousins and a neighbor helped care for her in addition to in-home medical care.

Michael said that Heidi soon told him and “anybody who would listen to her that she really wanted to go into a hospice facility.” She never shared the reason, but, in hindsight, Michael felt it was to make this time better for both of them. Heidi was fiercely independent, and Michael knew it bothered her every time he told her it was time to take her pills or one of the many other things that needed to happen each day. Her care also meant Michael never had a full night’s sleep, and she could see the impact.

The Rose Monahan Hospice Home came highly recommended, and would enable them to go from caregiver and patient back to husband and wife. Michael left the decision to Heidi, and she adamantly said yes to the move.

“When I left Heidi to come home at night, I felt comfortable. I knew she was well cared for. She was safe. She had people to talk to all the time,” said Michael.

Heidi’s months at the Rose Monahan Hospice Home were a celebration of her life. Family and friends from near and far visited or stayed in touch through video calls. She made special connections with the staff, who appreciated her unique sense of humor, love of music, and request for endless amounts of black coffee. Heidi was originally from Germany, and would give the Rose Monahan Hospice Home staff the occasional German language lesson.

She developed a love of music in childhood thanks to her brother’s record collection. She was active in the local music scene, and hosted a radio show with friends on a community station in Denmark. Her love of music inspired many adventures. She would bike from Germany to Denmark to attend Roskilde, an enormous rock and roll music festival. She made a solo trip to New York City to see one of the last live shows by The Ramones, her favorite band.

Michael shares Heidi’s love for music. They first met in 1997 in an online group dedicated to The Ramones. Their correspondence wasn’t romantic, remembered Michael, and he never expected them to meet. Two years later, he received a handwritten letter from Heidi that she’d be visiting aunts and cousins in the Worcester area, where Michael also lived, and suggested they get together. They later married, and Heidi moved to the United States and became a citizen. Heidi and Michael marked their 24th wedding anniversary at the Rose Monahan Hospice Home.

Heidi was able to make decisions about her care until nearly the end of her life. Monahan Home nurses respected her lifelong rejection of pain killers. Heidi did not want to mask what her body may be trying to communicate. Near the end of her life, Heidi made the decision that it was time for pain management measures. Staff explained everything, and Heidi agreed to move forward.

The last time Michael saw Heidi before she passed, he knew the time was near. As he prepared to leave for the evening, he said he’d visit again in the morning “but if you need to fly away in the night, I’ll understand.” Heidi passed away peacefully at the Rose Monahan Hospice Home at age 58.

In appreciation of the care provided to Heidi, Michael requested that memorial donations be made to the Rose Monahan Hospice Home, which, he said, “enabled Heidi to live with a better quality of life.”

 Pictured above, right: Heidi and Michael