To Continue Her Pedicures with Sam

Our stories about meaningful experiences are written as they unfold. Therefore, most stories are in the present tense. Some of the patients in these stories are no longer with us. They, and their families, gave us permission to share their experience with you. For those who have since passed, we share these in their memories with deep appreciation for what they have taught us about life and living.

You may have noticed that our special wish stories are often, at their heart, about relationships. Even those that seem to be about something else really have relationships at their root.

This story will seem to be about something superficial: pedicures. But keep reading, because this one is also about a relationship and how important it became to Mrs. Williams.

Mrs. Williams loves pedicures. Every couple of weeks, she goes to her favorite salon for a visit with her favorite nail technician. Over time, she and this nail-tech, Sam (name changed), developed a friendship that both of them enjoyed. Mrs. Williams found him easy to chat with, and Sam liked making her laugh.

Even after she was admitted to our hospice home program, she continued her regular appointments with Sam.

Until she couldn’t.

She missed Sam and her pedicure. If this seems superficial to you, just think for a moment: when everything else is changing around you and you know time is limited, it’s tempting to hold on the hardest to those things that make us feel most normal. Like pedicures.

Plus, she liked Sam a lot, and she missed him.

As it turned out, Sam missed her, too. He had noticed how hard it was becoming for her to get to the salon. Without mentioning it to her, he was planning for the day that she couldn’t come in. Using his own money, he bought the supplies and equipment he’d need in order to do pedicures in her home.

He gave her a call, and they set an appointment. That was weeks ago. He continues to come each week. Our care team simply plans its visits around Sam’s pedicures. We know how important they—and Sam—are to Mrs.
Williams. We wouldn’t dream of interfering with that.

We love Mrs. Williams’s story, because it’s about so much more than beautiful toes. It’s about continuing to live and to have hope—that we can enjoy the bonds we have with the people around us, and that we can live and laugh and love, until we take our last breath.

How can you honor life during National Hospice & Palliative Care Month? Visit the #WeHonorLife campaign page to learn about all the ways you can help, from volunteering and shopping to helping us increase access to specialized care for the seriously ill and their families. Questions? Contact us at hospice@hospicecp.org or 859-986-1500 or visit our website.