Linda's Lucky Day

Angela Hospice doesn't have a magic lamp, but we were able to grant a wish for one very sick local grandmother with glioblastoma, enabling her to spend some time with her family in a setting that has always made her happy.

Linda, who turned 70 in March, raised a happy family of four just outside Detroit with her husband Pete. That family grew to 23 with marriages and the addition of 13 grandchildren. They instilled family loyalty that included a love of family gatherings and a healthy sense of humor. So when Linda was diagnosed with a brain tumor last October, the family rallied the troops.

“It was so hard to comprehend because other than what we thought was bronchitis, she was just fine,” recalled Linda’s sister Debbie Scott. But by January, the effects of the disease and were hard to ignore. The insidious brain tumor, the same kind John McCain had, was difficult to treat with surgery because it spreads like tendrils through the brain. The family decided on a treatment plan and worked through everything they could do to keep Linda with them as long as possible.

In May, the family enlisted the help of Angela Hospice to provide care for Linda at home. Nurse Nanette Davis and social worker Ann-Patrice Foley started coming to the house once a week. The big extended family including children, grandchildren, siblings, and cousins, pitched in to take over the 24-hour care of everyday minute-to-minute needs, and provided frequent visitors. Throughout the summer, the house resembled normalcy, with some of her 13 grandchildren chatting, dancing, having sleepovers, and filling the house with laughter.

As the Angela staff got to know Linda and her family, they hatched a plan to give her a chance to do something she really loves with some time spent at a Detroit casino. This would involve some challenges, including solving transportation issues, and making Linda comfortable to sit with her family while she enjoyed her favorite slot machines, but the team solved these challenges one by one.

On September 5, a smiling Linda was able to leave the house for the first time in months, as more than a dozen family members and friends greeted her with cheers and tears.

"We are so grateful to Angela Hospice for giving us all this chance to see her so excited and happy,” Debbie said. “They proved to us that their purpose is: not just to ease end-of-life issues, but also to improve quality of life while we have it.”

Linda was delighted to be able to spend two hours at the casino — and even more so because she won over $400! As you can see in these photos, it was a really special day for Linda and the people who love her.

Angela Hospice would like to thank Pulse EMS for donating Linda’s transportation.