"Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." 

                        - From the TV show The Wonder Years

- Note from Pam Schoffner, Hospice of Central Iowa Foundation Chair

While remembering my mother’s terminal illness has many painful aspects, remembering the kindness, compassion and medical care she received from Hospice of Central Iowa is a memory that makes me smile in gratitude.

That memory reassures me that everything was done to make her final months the best they could be—a memory that changed my life. It’s the reason I’ve spent a decade as a volunteer at the Kavanagh House on 56th Street. It’s why I now chair the Hospice of Central Iowa Foundation, the entity that assures our people will receive hospice care, regardless of their financial resources.

For me, I simply need to give back to a group that stood by me—a group that educated me as a caregiver, helped me remember my role as a daughter (not just an exhausted caregiver), enabled my mother to live her final days in comfort and finally guided me in managing my grief. Will you join me in ensuring that other patients receive the same quality of care as my mother did from Hospice of Central Iowa?

As a volunteer spending time with Hospice of Central Iowa patients, I’m continually creating special memories. Throughout my years, I’ve:

•    Delighted in a patient’s soft voice as she sang a favorite childhood song — for just the two of us — while I carefully tucked covers around her tiny frame.

•    Been thrilled when placing a warm blanket atop a patient who had been silent throughout her bath, and she opened her eyes at last and exclaimed just two words — “Oh, nice!”

•    Seen life-changing wishes fulfilled by our organization and said goodbye to some of the sweetest people I’ve ever known.

Memories are a window to the past. They take us back to laugh, to grieve, to discover what we need to grow in life. Then they enable us to move forward. They’re a gift that can bring us comfort, smiles, tears and sometimes are all three simultaneously. They connect us with what was and inspire us to continue. Remembering is part of healing. Remembering changes lives.

Please remember the work of Hospice of Central Iowa, the largest and most experienced non-profit hospice in the state, and support our efforts to help families through the meaningful end-of-life journey. 

In her role as a Hospice of Central Iowa volunteer, Pam Schoffner is shown above talking with a patient.

Hospice of Central Iowa Foundation Mission:  Assuring access to quality of life at the end of life through dedicated stewardship and cultivation of community gifts.