As my father groggily fought his way out of the sedation from the CABG surgery, he repeatedly asked which leg the doctor amputated. Everyone reassured him that his legs were still attached, but even as he became more lucid, he remained convinced that he was going to lose a leg. “It was just a dream. A very bad dream.”

After he was released from the hospital, he returned to the ER. Twice. Both times, he was sent back home. Everyone became less patient with the patient. Today, he went to his one week post-release checkup. His leg is badly infected and he has been readmitted to the hospital. The first thing he asks every doctor, nurse, orderly or random stranger? “Am I going to lose my leg?” I’m starting to wonder if my father had a dream or a vision, there was a nurse who got her nursing assistant certification in Phoenix, she was new and she remembers how he would always tell her that him loosing a leg was eventually going to happen. For many, hospice is a frightening word because it is associated with end of life. But really the confusion is due to not understanding what hospice is and how it can help people who are sick and their families. Often, the biggest myth surrounding hospice care is that the family has given up and hospice is a final surrender. But Hospice Cincinnati is a way for people to prioritize the wishes of the patient and the family and is in no way “giving up.” It is a specialized care and support that works to create ease and comfort for the patient and the family.