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.
My husband was first diagnosed with cancer 17 years ago. He always says that he has lived with cancer, not battled it. Medication and prayer have enabled him to live a fruitful life.
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Photo supplied by Gloria Wilson
showing her with her husband John.
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Now he has been designated palliative. We have chosen to keep him at home. We receive excellent care from all medical personnel and care workers. We have been assured that all pain will be well managed. The assistance given by such as his nurse, personal care workers, and others has taken a load off me which I could not carry alone.
Interaction with various medical workers and other hospital personnel have given my husband opportunities to share his life story and what his faith means to him. At this time, the reality of who Jesus is and what He has done for us, our inheritance and the anticipation of the glory ahead, is coming more sharply into focus. Despite the grief, there have been precious times of remembering, of saying goodbye to dear friends, and of receiving tributes from friends far away.
It is a valuable experience for our grandchildren, who see firsthand how their parents and grandparents face grandpa’s anticipated passing. They have been encouraged to express how they feel, and hear grandpa’s thoughts regarding facing death. He is not afraid. He has learned over many years to trust God in everything, and he will trust Him in death. When my husband passes from this life to the next, we want to be around him singing and praying; accompanying him on the final leg of his earthly journey.
I was delighted to see the EFC Palliative Care Toolkit, and have downloaded a copy.
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.