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Hospice Patients and Bucket Lists

Posted by Frances Shani Parker on July 15, 2008 at 10:03pm
Many of you may have viewed “The Bucket List,” a movie about two terminally ill cancer patients going about completing goals on their “bucket lists” (from expression "kicking the bucket") while they still have time. But what do real dying patients, most who don’t have access to millions of dollars, want to accomplish before they die, if anything? Have you had any hospice patients tell you about some special wishes or goals they wanted to complete before their limited time in this life was over? If so, what were they? Did any of them have their last wishes fulfilled? Frances Shani Parker, Author "Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes” "Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog"

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  • Frances Shani Parker September 19, 2008 at 4:12pm
    Back in July 2008, I wrote this forum post about bucket lists (from the expression "kicking the bucket") of hospice patients. I wanted to know if any of you had experienced hospice patients with wishes or goals they wanted to complete before they died. If so, what were their wishes, and were any of them fulfilled?

    Weeks passed, and recently I found an answer in a special hospice video about a mother and daughter during their last stages of cancer. Because they lived in different states, they worried that they would never see each other again. Their wish was to spend time with each other before they died.

    The Arkansas Hospice Foundation and others who donated services, including a plane ride to bring them together, were responsible for Bernice Mize (mother) and Yvonne Bailey (daughter) celebrating a joyous three-day reunion. Included during the festivities was a spa day of massages, lunch, facials, manicures and pedicures. Their quality, mother-daughter time was a cherished wish that came true.

    You can view the "Arkansas Hospice in Action" (Video 2:06 mins.) video here.

    Frances Shani Parker
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