This is a long overdue review; needless to say, I have been behind on a lot of duties since losing my mom, but I'm slowly getting back into the groove of things.
There's a story to tell that leads us to Harbor. My mom had been diagnosed with smoldering Multiple Myeloma about 2-3yrs ago; smoldering meant it wasn't active so she was being closely monitored by her oncologist. My mom suffered a fall on 3-31-17 in which she attempted to break her fall & slammed her upper left arm in a doorway which broke the upper arm bone most closest to the shoulder and also suffered a hairline fracture of her left hip as well.
It was deemed by the ER physicians that she needed to be in a skilled nursing facility until the arm healed so she could go home and continue living independently as she did. On May 15, my mom was rushed to the ER unresponsive for the 3rd time; however, this time would be her final return. Her cancer had woken up in 7 days from her last hospitalization and ravaged her body with an intense force shutting down her organs and rendering her completely unconscious. I, unlike my older sister, cared more about honoring my mom's wishes and not our own; I signed the DNR, met with Suzette Thompson who drove to the hospital to meet with us and discussed with us in great detail every little step, signed the paperwork and she was transferred on the 17th.
It is SO hard to type this as I recall every second of every minute of every hour of every day until her last. From the very first foot in the door, we were treated like family; we were met with such loving compassion that words cannot explain the emotion that I felt with each person we came in contact with.
My mother was made comfortable and treated with the utmost respect and love. We were allowed 24hrs a day; we were constantly checked on by the staff. They have a giant kitchen stocked with free coffee and tea, ice and fresh baked cookies on the daily plus a plentiful stocked vending machine.
The facility is so beautiful and welcoming, not cold and sterile like a hospital. There are a couple of family rooms for families to set up shop to sleep in and clean, spacious and private showering rooms. Any questions we had were met with kind and comforting words. Being in the medical field, I can tell you other medical professionals do not appreciate tending to other medical professionals or families of because of the barrage of questions. Anytime I noticed a change in her breathing and skin color and or integrity, the nurses would kindly check, pull me aside and concur that the end was nearing. I must mention 2 very special nurses: Margarite and Mario. These two spectacular nurses treated my mom as if she were their own; their compassionate spirit and loving gestures were clearly sincere and not forced whatsoever. Margarite and I bonded quickly, so much so that the day my mother passed on the 22nd, she texted me when she came on her shift that night to offer her condolences.
The chaplain, Chris Ware came to speak with us a few times during our very short lived time and prayed with us and offered us support as well as contacted a priest to perform what last rites could be done being that she was unconscious and unresponsive. Deonis Pointdexter came and met with us as well as Suzette was filling in for him while he was out; he made sure we were being well taken care of and checked to see if we needed anything and sat with us for a while.
On May 22 as I made my way back with lunch for my sister, my mom passed away as I was turning onto the street. I am amazed at how the staff did not rush us, ignore us or act as if it were nothing. Many nurses came to offer their condolences, hug us, and told us to take all the time we needed. I informed them she was being cremated and going back home so they made the arrangements for the pick up. The handling of my mother's body was gentle and with such immense respect that I was overcome with emotion. Once her body was removed, we were once again told to take all the time we needed. As we made our way out of her room, I walked to the nurses station to let them know and to inquire about what would happen next with the death certificate and also to inform them a document would be arriving via fax that my sister needed completed by the physician for her leave. The nurses came to say goodbye and hugged me one last time.
My sister's form was done and faxed on time, and the funeral home received my mom's signed death certificate in less than one week.
I am ever so grateful to the ENTIRE staff at Harbor for everything they did, their compassion, sincerity and overall professionalism. It was evident that this was not just a job, this was their passion and their calling. read more