Being able to grant our hospice patients one last wish is always a very heartwarming experience for everyone involved. In this case, having the chance to facilitate a flyover for this WWII fighter pilot and Vietnam veteran, who had been flying for more than 40 years, had everyone involved feeling a little extra thankful for our veterans that day.
The patient’s granddaughter was able to arrange a flyover with a P-51 Mustang plane – the exact plane which he piloted in WWII – over his home. While surrounded by his family and friends, this was a wonderful experience for this true American hero. As his granddaughter expressed, “Thank you all for making this day possible for my grandfather! Our family will be forever thankful for Abode.”
The granddaughter went on to explain that the patient had always enjoyed telling stories to his great-grandson about his flying experiences and how he stopped the ‘bad guys.’ The patient also had a collection of P-51 Mustang planes, as it was his favorite plane model.
As the plane flew over the patient’s home, smiles were had by everyone – especially the guest of honor. With the American flag flying high, cheers, and waving, this was truly an experience deserving of an American hero.
These Life Inspiring Events are just a small part of what Abode does to soar above and beyond for its patients. We strive to provide any sort of joy or comfort available to the patients during their time with hospice.
Left photo: The photo on the left is of the patient and his family. This photo includes four generations who were all able to experience this event together.
Middle photo: The middle photo is of the patient with staff members who helped make this event possible.
Right photo: The photo to the right is of the P-51 Mustang that was flown.
A Recital to Remember
Many people have a passion that they develop and grow to love during their lifetime. For one of our patients, she dedicated many years of her life to performing and teaching students how to play the harp and piano. As a patient with Stage IV lung cancer, she has become increasingly weaker, forcing her to stop teaching her beloved students.
As a result, an Abode employee came up with the idea of having the patient’s students play a private concert for her as a surprise. Using the Broadmoor hotel as the venue, team members were able to coax the patient to come to lunch at the Broadmoor, where she was surprised with her students awaiting. The students played for her for an hour while finishing her afternoon with lunch complimentary of the Broadmoor Golf Club following the event.
Interestingly enough, it was discovered that the patient had played over 100 times at the Broadmoor for weddings and private events over the years, which made the event more special. The Broadmoor team was overly accommodating to help with this event as they have grown to love the patient and her music over the years. Without the help of Abode’s amazing staff and the staff at Broadmoor, this event would not have been possible. As the patient’s son put it,
“What Abode has done is above and beyond. I thought it was incredible the lengths the crew went to make this event possible. I’m absolutely blown away.”
Oftentimes our patients are unable to participate in the tasks they once loved. We strive to make sure they are able to get a taste of these beloved hobbies or interests during their time with us in hospice. This is the perfect example of how we can bring a little bit of that joy back into our patients’ lives.
