Hospice Patient’s Last Wish Has a Lasting Impact on All

Wishes. They can be large in scale or elaborate in approach. But for Diane Huffines, a 72-year-old hospice patient with Memorial Home Services, her wish was simple: to relax – even if just for an hour.

A simple visit to the spa would fulfill this wish in many cases. But for Diane, finding transportation there, coupled with the energy necessary to make the short trip could prove difficult. Hospice staff knew that this one simple wish could provide additional comfort in her final days. So they contacted the Memorial Medical Center Foundation for assistance.

The Foundation had established a special fund in 2012 called the “Sharing Wishes Fund.” It provides the money necessary to make the small and simple wishes of hospice patients, like Diane, become a reality.

Diane’s request was approved, and the Foundation sent Danielle Enrietta, LMT, NCTMB, a local massage therapist, to visit Diane at the nursing home. She would bring Diane’s wish — to her!

Upon learning her wish would be granted, Diane wrote, “I was relieved to get your note regarding the Sharing Wishes Fund. The past six weeks have taken a great toll on my health…”

Enrietta not only visited Diane once, but twice. After her first massage proved so beneficial, Sharing Wishes provided a second massage. It was just what Diane needed – she got to relax, for another hour.

“She seemed grateful to relax and not think about her illness,” Enrietta said.

Diane later expressed her gratitude in a note of thanks to the Foundation. “She (Enrietta) let her capable hands do her talking. I was certain she was sent to escort me to heaven. Then when the night came for my second massage, I was convinced the doors of heaven would open to greet me.”

This wish didn’t just make a difference for Diane.

“The experience was also rewarding to me because I felt that I was able to give her some enjoyment at such a difficult time in her life,” Enrietta stated. “Thank you again for giving me this opportunity. I have never felt more useful.”

Even the smallest wishes can have a lasting impact. It meant much to Diane, who died Nov. 8.

Below is Diane’s thank you letter in its entirety.