BCN’s Hospice Team Helps Couple Say “I Do”
When Ted and Kathy came to Bluegrass Care Navigators, they were facing the challenges of serious illness and caregiving at home. Through the compassionate, patient-centered care of our hospice team, they found more than just medical support. Our team helped them fulfill a longtime dream. After more than two decades together, Ted and Kathy were married on June 26 in a heartwarming ceremony at our Bluegrass Hospice Care Center at UK Good Samaritan Hospital.
“It was 25 years coming because I asked her a long, long time ago,” Ted said. “She said yes, but we just never got around to tying the knot.”
After Ted was admitted to the hospital earlier in June, a physician asked if they were married. Ted and Kathy said they wanted to but didn’t know how to do the paperwork or the other details since Ted was in the hospital. The physician helped fast-track the license and, our hospice team stepped in to handle every detail – cake, flowers, hair and makeup, and even a photographer. Ted and Kathy appreciated the way the team stepped in to make their day beautiful and said that the team had almost as much fun as the newlyweds.
“Getting to be a wedding planner like this is the part of nursing that I love,” Andrea Owens, RN at the care center, said. “They don’t teach you this in nursing school, but I love the human connection in hospice care and getting to be part of people’s lives in a way that truly matters.”
Once Ted returned home, the hospice team continued to care for Kathy and Ted. Team BCN provided all of Ted’s medical equipment, including a hospital bed and managed his IV medications, assisted with baths and provided emotional support.
“They went above and beyond,” Kathy said. “We weren’t expecting the best outcome with the diagnosis we faced, but they gave us the best outcome possible that we could have, and it’s because of them.”
To learn more about our services, visit bgcarenav.org.
