With the help of Memorial Home Hospice and a special nurse and social worker, Brandie Wright and Belinda Turley pulled off a surprise pool party to celebrate their mom, Sue Turley, 69, a hospice patient. Sue retired from Memorial Child…
At the height of World War II, young naval lieutenant John Schaeffer helped construct supply bases in the South Pacific—building airstrips, mobile hospitals and roads on islands dotted across the embattled ocean. At the age of 99, more than 70…
Earlier in her life, Dolores Shoup didn’t have many opportunities to celebrate her birthday. But that changed when she moved to a group home for people with developmental disabilities in Taylorville 14 years ago. Since then, Dolores has enjoyed celebrating the…
If you ask Helen “Buzzy” Burris what one of her final wishes would be, the fun-loving mother will reply with a smirk, “Tall, dark and handsome.” Her response reveals some of the spirited banter she shares with the people in…
Each day spent caring for people who are living their last moments or taking their last breaths might seem like a difficult job. But for Memorial Home Hospice caregivers, the rewards are countless. When the end of life is near,…
Memorial’s Sharing Wishes Fund is celebrating five years and nearly 200 wishes granted. The Fund provides wishes for hospice patients across central Illinois. See some of the many wishes featured in this video provided by Mary Bretscher, MD, associate medical…
An Elvis fan wishing to visit Graceland. A 63-year-old man wishing for a laptop to complete his family tree. A mother and grandmother wishing to have a pizza party for more than 30 relatives. An avid car lover wishing to…
Since its establishment in 2012, the Sharing Wishes Fund has made a significant impact in the lives of many hospice patients and families in central Illinois. Whether it is a special family-and-friends gathering or a visit from a distant loved…
Wiley Moore had a simple wish – to go to Red Lobster for dinner. Unfortunately, Wiley was bedbound because of stage 4 cancer that had spread to his spine and brain. Leaving his home was not possible. But, thanks to the…
Girls just want to have fun, and Dorothy Ferrara is no exception. Dorothy, a patient of Memorial Home Services Hospice, had mentioned to several staff members that she wanted to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. When Kelsi…