The EFC is inviting Canadians to share Your Stories of Palliative Care, as we launch the Palliative Care Toolkit, a resource to encourage discussion and help equip Canadians in dealing with serious illness. Contact us to submit your palliative care story. We would be honoured to hear it and share it.
By Melinda Crawford
I never thought I would walk the halls of palliative care, but I did for almost six weeks at a hospital. My mom had stage-four lung cancer and heart problems.
My mom was a very private person and she wanted to die at home. One doctor in particular shined through the complications of that, and she made things happen. She prepared my mom to go home and have palliative care there, where she wanted. God answered her request.
My sister and I looked after our mom for seven to 12 hours a day at her home. We had a nurse come in briefly, about an hour every week, and a personal care worker for an hour a week as well. The hospital provided us with a walker. We saw the doctor once every couple of weeks.
Palliative care is challenging for the best of us, whether it is at home or in the hospital. You feel exhausted a lot of the time. But it is a rewarding experience to care for your loved one, especially if they can die at home. But it is hard work.
I know God is in control. When my mom was in the hospital, she was always praying for the other people there. But she felt alive at home. She spent six weeks in palliative care in the hospital, and six weeks at home. Our mother died with us holding her hands and her raising her arm to the Lord.
Have you witnessed the difference palliative care made for a loved one? If you have an experience that you’d be willing to share on the EFC’s platform, email us to tell us about it. To say thank you, we’ll give you a free one-year subscription to Faith Today, Canada’s Christian magazine, where subscribers can read stories like this recent feature on palliative care.