As every parent knows, we can only rest when we know that our children’s needs are met. For our patient, Diana, the care and well-being of her grandson, Elijah, was her sole focus. Her heart’s desire was for her grandson to be okay.  She worried about him daily, asking each team member during our visits to spend time with Elijah and remind him of his great potential. 

Elijah is a 12 year old boy who was raised by his grandparents since he was age 3.  He struggled mightily with the idea of losing his grandmother.  This worried both of his grandparents, and they felt that if he could get involved in sports, being part of a team would benefit him. Baseball is his passion.  

We saw some beautiful moments occur between Elijah and his grandmother facilitated by our chaplain. He helped Elijah say goodbye to his grandmother and tell her that he loved her.  Our nurse, Robin, and social worker, Dana, also spent a lot of time with Elijah each visit at the request of his grandmother.   

Diana had expressed her desire for Elijah to be able to go to church again. Since she was too ill to take him, she agreed for Dana to make a call to The Rock Church where she had attended previously.  But locating a volunteer and setting up time for someone to pick him up and take him to church took time and did not occur until two weeks after his grandmother’s death.  When the volunteers arrived, it was two women who were themselves grandmothers. They instantly bonded with Elijah as he poured his heart out to them about the recent death of his grandmother.   

Not only were we able to fulfil Diana’s wish of bringing him back into the church, we were able to celebrate Elijah’s love of baseball as well. Our Caris Rep, Lori and Regional Director of Sales and Marketing, Reggie worked together to orchestrate him throwing out the first pitch at a Myrtle Beach Pelicans game. This was a great time for Elijah and his grandfather to reconnect with the Caris team who cared for his grandmother and had developed such a great relationship with him. 

Diana’s wishes of love and support for her grandson have been honored. Elijah has been surrounded by a team of people rooting him on and celebrating his love of baseball. This is exactly what his grandmother had hoped for. We see the power of her prayers still being answered today. We will continue to connect with Elijah and his family over the next year as grief support is an important part of hospice care. Thank you so much to The Rock Church and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans for helping us comfort this family during a difficult time. We know that the whole community is needed when a family is in crisis, and we appreciate your partnership.