Annie DesRoche spent just two days under hospice care before she died and that was more than 11 years ago. But the kindness and help she and her family received made a lasting impression. For the last 10 years, as many as 50 family members and friends have participated in the annual fundraising walk for Hospice of the South Shore ever since.
On Saturday, Mar. 13, they will be out there again – this time, as honorary chair team."Hospice is not only for the dying, it is also for the people who are being left behind," her daughter, Laura Anderson said Saturday. "Hospice makes that process a little easier to deal with and they make you feel as if you are not alone.
"If not for hospice, Mom would have been in some hospital surrounded by tubes, machines and strangers. Hospice of the South Shore gave my Mom and her family a true gift, the gift of a peaceful and comforting good-bye.. I will be forever grateful because they were truly angels in our lives at a most difficult time."
DesRoche was diagnosed with terminal cancer in April, 1998. She was told she had four to six weeks to live and partly because of the shock, she didn’t want to talk about it too much.
Her daughter, Laura Ander son of Quincy, waited a day and then approached her mother to ask about her final wishes.
“I just want to stay here at home, no matter what,” DesRoche said.
Anderson called Hospice of the South Shore and a nurse stopped by four days after the diagnosis. DesRoche was com fortable with the nurse and be cause she seemed to be doing well, they talked about many things together.
But the next day, DesRoche became ill and when the hospice nurse came back, she realized DesRoche was probably near the end. The nurse helped ev eryone to prepare themselves. DesRoche died the next day, with family and friends at her bedside, at home, as she wished.
The hospice nurse stayed to make sure the family had all the time they needed with DesRoche, contacted the funer al home to help the family make arrangements and kept in touch with the family for months af terwards to comfort them in their grieving.
Anderson was very grateful for all the caring, most especial ly that her mother had been able to say her final farewells the way she wanted.
The family wanted to give back in return, and when the Hospice of the South Shore an nual fundraiser came up a year later, they formed a team, called Annie’s Angels, to raise mon ey.
The team members include . Annie’s family, friends and neighbors. In 10 years, they have raised thousands of dollars for the walk.
Annie’s Angels now number about 50 people and this year, they are the Honorary Chair Team for the Walk.
It takes place from 7 to 10 a.m. SaturdayMarch 13 at South Shore Plaza.
Anderson said her mother’s spirit will be with them in many ways. DesRoche loved to go to the mall to walk and shop.To register to walk online, visit events.southshorehospital.org For more information or for walk papers, call Haley Gilroy at 781-624-4061 or e-mail: haley_gilroy@sshosp.org.
Sue Scheible may be reached at sscheible@ledger.com.
Annie's Angels - Join the walk
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