At EveryStep, hospice care isn’t just about physical treatment – it is about caring for the soul as well. As our patients and families learn, hospice is not about one life ending but about providing entire families with the strength to face their darkest days.
Every day, miracles of the heart are happening in the rooms and hallways of EveryStep’s Kavanagh House on 56th Street. Nurse Jennifer Hopley reached out to EveryStep’s marketing team recently to share one of those stories and shine a light on a special part of the Kavanagh House team.
Jennifer writes:
“The Kavanagh House had the pleasure of caring for Cindy, an 83-year-old receiving hospice services. Although it was a short stay, there were a lot of impactful moments she and her partner Mary were able to embrace together.
They had been together for 26 years and Mary reports it being a true soulmate kind of love and relationship.
Mary shared with the nursing staff of how much it meant to both she and Cindy that immediately upon entering Kavanagh house that the hospital gown was gone and she was in a regular gown and shirt. Not only that, but also her hair had been washed and styled and “this made her feel human again and you won’t believe how much of a difference those simple things can make!”
Mary shared that Cindy was a longtime gifted musician -she achieved All State Band honors all four years of high school - and had a strong passion for playing the flute for over 15 years. While at Kavanagh House, they enjoyed having volunteer musicians come in and play for them, which always brought pure joy to their day.
However, nothing could compare to the beauty of the last day of Cindy’s life. Mary says it felt like the day was woven together by the universe and heaven together. Mary says Cindy and the angels orchestrated 100% to make happen ... thanks to the presence of EveryStep volunteer Carol Looney and her beautiful music.
During Cindy’s final moments, Mary says, Carol was present in the Kavanagh house and playing such beautiful songs; pure and angelic music filled Cindy’s room and it “literally felt like the angels were calling her home, Mary said. “We couldn’t have asked for anything more peaceful and beautiful than that in her final moments.”
After Cindy’s passing, Mary requested to have Carol play at the funeral, feeling that this was a way to help her into the afterlife as a final blessing of the instrument Cindy so enjoyed. Carol accepted and worked with the organist before Cindy’s funeral to learn a new piece of music. “It was a beautiful piece and I’m glad to add it to my repertoire,” she says.
It was a full circle moment for Carol, who has now spent a decade volunteering with EveryStep after her own experience with Kavanagh House.
Carol’s mother-in-law was a patient at the hospice house. Carol was playing for her one day when EveryStep’s volunteer coordinator heard her. After her mother-in-law’s passing, Carol was asked if she’d like to continue playing occasionally at Kavanagh House. With that, a decade-long Tuesday performance schedule began.
“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” Carol says. Those years have given Carol plenty of performance stories to share.
Carol was at Kavanagh House recently when an Air Force veteran who was a patient passed away. As he was leaving for the funeral home, Carol was asked to play ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ - the Air Force anthem – during the dignified transfer. Carol remembers “he was draped in a flag blanket, and it was just an honor to do this for him and his family as one last thank you for his service to our country.”
“It fills my heart to share something I love with others. I get so much more fulfilment in my life volunteering here than I am giving to others,” Carol says, “Though some of the people I play for are unable to voice their enjoyment and appreciation for my visits, “you can just tell it means something to them.”
Through body language - ‘dancing’ with their upper body and hands even though they are bedbound, “conducting her”, smiling, and singing along at times – Carol can tell the music is being felt.
Carol has been requested to perform all genres as well. One patient and their family wanted to hear some classic rock. So, Carol joined them in a rendition of Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung” with the patient’s family filling in the percussion sections. By the end of the song, everyone was laughing, Carol recalls. The patient’s daughter told her: “I never thought I’d see my dad laughing in hospice.”
Beyond just performing, Carol worked with a hospice patient who played the guitar to learn to play the keyboard at his home before his passing. Through it all, EveryStep is so very lucky to have found Carol and are grateful she chooses to share her talent and time with not only the patients, but also the Kavanagh House staff at times, too.
Thank you, Carol, and congratulations on 10 years of beautiful times with EveryStep.
