Thanks To You
Thanks to you, each day, more than 900 adults and children in our community receive compassionate hospice care and support from Gilchrist.
As a hospice nurse, I see patients and families at their most vulnerable. I recently cared for Mark, a 67-year-old carpenter and grandfather of 7. Mark was healthy, energetic and full of life before being diagnosed last year with prostate cancer. Unfortunately, his prognosis was bleak.
Mark began receiving home hospice care from Gilchrist just a few months ago. We were able to relieve his pain and help his family learn how to care for him at home. They were so grateful to have the Gilchrist team by their side during their most difficult days.
If you must experience a terminal illness, I can’t imagine getting through it without Gilchrist. That’s why I’m writing to you today, during this season of giving, to ask you to help Gilchrist continue providing compassionate care and support to people with serious illness like Mark.
When Mark was struggling to accept his illness, we helped him through his feelings of denial, anger and sadness, until finally, he was at peace. His last wish was to marry his long-time girlfriend, but he and his fiancée worried there wouldn’t be enough time. After I contacted the courthouse to explain the situation, the judge signed off on the marriage license in under an hour. A Gilchrist chaplain performed the wedding ceremony. Mark was so happy and grateful to finally marry his best friend and soulmate.
Toward the very end, Mark said he was not scared and was ready to let go. His wife never left his side. He lived the last precious moments of his life exactly as he wanted, in comfort and peace, with loved ones near.
The cost of providing our services is much greater than the reimbursements Gilchrist receives. Last year, Gilchrist provided $5.5 million in care that was not reimbursed. Quite simply, we cannot do our work without your help.
Your support makes stories like Mark’s possible. But for every family we help, there are many more who need our care. While many of us are preparing to spend the holiday season together with our loved ones, for some it will be their last. I hope we can count on you to support Gilchrist so we can be there for families when they need us most.
You can make a tax-deductible gift to Gilchrist at: https://gilchristcares.org/donation