Willie’s Story

Supporting families, and even being like family: whatever and wherever the need, Hosparus Health is there.

Family. Farming. Freedom to live his life. These three things mattered most to Willie Avery of Hart County, Kentucky, and they were the things his family and Hosparus helped make sure Willie had through his very last moments.

Willie was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2022. His daughter Cindy says, “After we had all our discussions, we were sitting around talking in his hospital room, and Dad said, ‘Well, do you want to know what I want to do? … I want hospice, and I want to go home. I want to spend time with my family.’

“But without medical knowledge or nursing skills, we were fearful of how to accomplish this and still make Dad comfortable. We were willing to learn and give him our all, but we knew we would need help. And so right before Christmas, he was able to come home, and Hosparus was there for us. His care team came to our rescue … from admitting all the way until the very end … everyone was there for him.”

Hosparus team members Tabitha Stinnett, Lindsey McKinney, and other Hosparus staff helped Willie and his family with every detail, from medical and personal-care needs to working out pain-management protocols that allowed Willie to take daily rides around his 300-acre farm. (One of his happiest days was spent moving downed trees with the backhoe just two weeks before he passed.) They also helped Willie’s family make his end-of-life arrangements, including important medical and personal paperwork.

Cindy says “It takes a special person to make an instant connection with someone, especially under the circumstances Hosparus walks into. … We were so impacted by Tabitha’s compassion, care, and concern for our family … she listened intently to understand Dad’s wishes, and she carefully and compassionately considered Mom’s needs as well. She made it easy for us to complete tasks from our long ‘to-do’ list.”

As for Lindsey, Cindy says “Learning to trust outsiders was a challenge for Dad. During the three months he was in the program, he learned not only to trust Lindsey’s judgment and advice, but to rely on it. She would move heaven and earth to make what Dad wanted happen. … I just can’t talk enough about Lindsey and the special relationship she was able to have with him for three months. We all grew to love her. Lindsey was our North Star, our lighthouse, our compass. She is no longer an ‘outsider’ … we have unofficially adopted her into the family, and are forever grateful for her knowledge, care and concern for Dad and the family.”

“I had a long list of questions as soon as we entered hospice, but there were things that came up that were definitely not on my list. … Imagine trying to navigate without having a Lindsey there … things like trying to figure out the best way to move a grown man in the bed, or little things that kept him more comfortable … or the medication … knowing how much; not overmedicating him, not under medicating him, being able to adjust the right dosage. There’s just no way we ourselves could have done the job and kept him as comfortable as he was … the compassion, care and concern, not just for Dad, but for us … them recognizing we were facing our own emotions and challenges while trying to care for him.”

Willie Avery passed away at home in March 2023, with his family at his side. Lindsey attended the visitation, where there was love and hugs all around.

Today, Willie’s family has no regrets in giving him what he wanted. Cindy says that even though it’s hard to see Willie’s empty chair at the head of the table, “thanks to our Hosparus team, we have three more months of good memories.”

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