Going Out Big

Going Out Big! What Families Should Expect When Someone Goes on Hospice.

Last January, I went on a Caribbean cruise with my husband, our adult children, and six of our grandchildren.

It was one adult per grandchild. That was intentional.

We learned that lesson the hard way on a previous trip.

While we were on the island of St. Maarten, I stepped into a high-end jewelry store. I was waiting at the counter for my receipt when I heard voices behind me.

I turned and saw a thin, energetic man in his mid-70s walking quickly through the front door.

He looked determined.

A younger man, who I later learned was his grandson, was trying to keep up with him.

As he passed me, he smiled and said, “I am going to buy an expensive watch.”

Without missing a beat, I smiled back and said, “Well, don’t forget to get me one too.”

The grandson laughed and said, “Please don’t encourage him. He has already bought four very expensive watches today.”

They walked to the back of the store.

A few minutes later, they came back toward the front.

This time, the older gentleman stopped.

“This is my grandson,” he said. “We are on a family vacation. I have all my children and grandchildren here with me.”

I smiled and said, “That must be incredible. To be together like that in a place like this.”

He paused.

Then he looked directly at me and said something I will never forget.

“I have stage four pancreatic cancer. I am on hospice.”

He continued.

“I am buying each of my sons an expensive watch. Then I am going to have them engraved. I want them to remember me. I want them to remember this time together.”

I felt tears in my eyes.

I told him, “I understand. I work in hospice.”

His face lit up.

“Oh,” he said, “my hospice nurses are wonderful. I do not know what I would do without them.”

Then he smiled and said, “I am going to go out with a big bang. I am doing this my way.”

He pulled me in for a hug.

“Tell your nurses they are angels. They bring comfort, peace, and relief when it matters most.”

With his arm around his grandson, they walked out of the store together.

Can You Still Live Your Life on Hospice?

One of the biggest misconceptions about hospice is that it is only about dying.

Families often believe that once hospice begins, life stops.

That is not true.

Hospice is about how you live when time becomes more limited.

It is about comfort, clarity, and choosing what matters most.

What Hospice Actually Makes Possible

When hospice is introduced at the right time, it does not take life away.

It supports it.

Hospice can help patients:

• travel and spend meaningful time with family
• reduce pain so they can stay present in important moments
• avoid unnecessary hospitalizations
• focus on relationships instead of medical crisis
• create memories that families carry forward

The goal is not to extend suffering.

The goal is to improve the quality of the time that remains.

Hospice Is About Choice

That man in the jewelry store understood something many families do not.

He understood that hospice gave him the ability to choose.

He chose to travel.

He chose to gather his family.

He chose to create a lasting memory for his sons.

He chose how he wanted to live at the end of his life.

What Families Often Miss

Too often, hospice is introduced too late.

By the time it begins, patients are no longer able to:

• travel
• participate in meaningful experiences
• engage with family in the way they would want

When hospice starts earlier, the experience is different.

There is more time.

More clarity.

More opportunity to live intentionally.

If You Are Wondering About Hospice

If your loved one is declining,
If you are starting to question what the next step should be,

You do not have to wait for everything to fall apart.

Hospice is not about giving up.

It is about choosing how you want to live.

Talk to Someone Who Can Help You Understand Your Options

If you have questions about hospice care, what it looks like, or when it should begin, speaking with a nurse can help you understand what is possible.

Aspire Home Health, Hospice, and Palliative Care serves families throughout Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, and Utah counties.

📞 801-292-0296

Hospice Is Not the End

Hospice is not the end of life.

It is the way some people choose to live the most meaningful part of it.

And sometimes, it looks like a grandfather, a grandson, and a watch that will be remembered forever.