Why St. Anthony’s

We’re adding another installment of “Why St. Anthony’s” to our website!  Taylor Vernam has kindly shared the story of her grandmother, Priscilla Vernam and her grandmother’s sister, Linda Abell; both who passed away with St. Anthony’s care.

“Why St. Anthony’s?” is unfortunately one of the easiest questions for our family to answer. I had always heard great things about St. Anthony’s Hospice and the Lucy Smith King Care Center but never thought I would experience it firsthand with loved ones… twice… in the same year. February 9, 2018 began our first of two experiences at the Lucy Smith King Care Center with my grandmother, Priscilla. After being diagnosed with cancer, only 9 days prior to being admitted, the next 9 days became the longest. My mom and I were told the worst news we had ever heard on February 18, at 3:52 a.m. “I’m sorry ladies, but she has passed.” Fast forwarding to July 2, Linda, my grandmother’s sister, became a patient in the care center after also being diagnosed with cancer. After being there in February and having a great experience with the staff, we as a family were at ease knowing that another family member was going to be well taken care of. At this point we knew the staff, the rooms, and the family room all too well; they even remembered all of us as we entered the unit. July 5 at 1:05 a.m., it became a nightmare that none of us could believe was happening again. Two nurses and two aide’s stood around us as we heard the terrible news again. I can distinctly remember everything about those two early mornings, but that isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I speak of our loved ones’ time under the care of St. Anthony’s. What I think about is the heartfelt care and compassion that each staff member had for my grandmother, aunt, myself and our family. From the referral process to the memorial leaf hanging in the care center, every nurse, aide, volunteer, etc., has been nothing short of wonderful and concerned for our grieving. I truly cannot thank St. Anthony’s Hospice enough for what they have done for our family.”

We’re digging through our vault to bring back another edition of Why St. Anthony’s. Today’s post comes from August 9, 2019 and was submitted by our Lucy Smith King Care Center Administrative/Assistant/Unit Secretary, Amy Hanley.

“Caring for and loving people when they need it most has always been a part of who I am. My current position with St. Anthony’s Hospice presented itself to me in August 2017. Without hesitation, I immediately applied and prayed that this was where I was meant to be. I love to love people. I love to comfort others when there is a need. And this organization exemplifies just that and so much more. People often ask us “how do you do it everyday? How do you work around such sadness?” St. Anthony’s Hospice is about so much more than the sadness, sickness, death, and dying. To me, the answer is simple… I get to work in a place that is filled with so much compassion, selflessness, kindness, and love everyday. I leave my job everyday feeling so fulfilled, knowing that we have gone above and beyond to treat patients and their families with the same compassion and dignity that we would all want for our own loved ones and families, not because we have to, but because that’s who we are as people and an organization, and what we believe in and stand for. The best part of my job is doing what I love and loving what I do everyday. They say it’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together, and I am so blessed and thankful that it has for me.”

Today we are adding another Why St. Anthony’s post from our Facebook feed to our blog. This time it comes from one of our Lucy Smith King Care Center RNs, Janie Miller. The picture to accompany the story comes from Janie and it is her and her mom, Connie.

“Sitting in room 5 praying that one of the most important people to me wouldn’t suffer at the end. The lady that was brought from Louisville to the Lucy Smith King Care Center to live the remainder of her time, wasn’t my biological mother but was my mom and raised me as her own. Her name was Connie Brockett. In the early morning hours of November 3, 2012, I watched as the nurses and aides at the Lucy smith King Care Center compassionately made my mom as comfortable as they could. It was hard to accept that time with her was coming to an end. I thank the Lord every day that she was able to be moved back here from Louisville so that more of the family could be with her. The Care Center staff was wonderful with mom and with us. I was in nursing school when I lost her but I held a picture of us in my shirt pocket on every test and through every skill to remind myself that she was with me. While going through nursing school, we had to complete our portfolio and my long term goal in my portfolio was to become a hospice nurse so that I could help others like the nurses that helped me make it through one of the toughest times in my life. Over three and a half years ago I was preparing for a nursing interview with St. Anthony’s. It was the night before my interview and I was getting my portfolio cleaned up. As I turned through the pages, staring back at me was my long term goal of becoming a hospice nurse. So today I am proud to say that I have been with St. Anthony’s Hospice over 3 years and this is my family! Since that time I have had a grandfather, Allan Householder, who was under St. Anthony’s care and was fortunate enough to pass peacefully at home with the help of our nurses and aides. He passed away early in the morning and the nurse came and sat with us until after the funeral home came to pick him up. I can not thank St. Anthony’s enough for what they have given me!”

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We are working to build our blog on our website so readers can have some great content. We are starting with our Why St. Anthony’s stories from our Facebook page. Please “like” us on Facebook @stanthonyshospice and “follow” us on Instagram @stanthonyshospice.

We are starting a new campaign called “Why St. Anthony’s” where every Friday we are sharing a story from someone in the community and our staff members about why they chose St. Anthony’s Hospice to care for their loved one and/or why they chose to work for St. Anthony’s.

From July 19, 2019- We are kicking off our Why St. Anthony’s stories with some kind words from Amy Brady about us providing care to her mom, Norma Jean Martin: “St Anthony’s Hospice provided at-home assistance to my mom which in turn helped our family. The visits, assistance with bathing, medication checks, chaplain visits, social work visits, etc. gave us peace of mind that she was receiving proper care in the comfort and safety of her own home. When moms condition continued to decline to the point where she needed more assistance and care than I could help with, St Anthony’s Hospice arranged for her transfer to the care center. The warm environment of the care center and the attentive, caring staff made a heart-wrenching, stressful, life-changing event easier. We knew that mom was receiving the proper attention and that the staff understood not only what mom was going through but also what the family was going through.”