When Jac’s cancer progressed, he went to live with his sister so he could be under supervised care. A month later they made the decision to start hospice care in the home. “I didn’t know what to expect [about hospice care], but we couldn’t have done without it,” said Sharon. “Arbor Hospice met Jac where he was and didn’t try to change him.”

 

Jac started receiving hospice care in January, and everyone expected him to be gone by March or April. “I kept calling him the Energizer Bunny. His doctor called in June to see how he was-and I said, ‘he’s still ticking.’”

 

Jac’s days were spent hanging out at the VFW Post in Northville, where all of his friends were. “It was his social life and we made sure he got there every day. He would get sick at noon and be at the bar having a drink by 2 p.m.  As hard as it was to watch him go through that, it was his life. We couldn’t deprive him of that.”

 

“He liked the fact that there wasn’t someone telling him what to do, he couldn’t stand to be told what to do. Arbor Hospice made sure that he was informed-and from there, he was the decision maker.”

 

Under hospice care, Jac was able to go to the Upper Peninsula with his nephew and visit a buddy he spoke with everyday. “That was Jac’s will to live, to get up north. It was his last hurrah. They were only supposed to be gone for six days and they ended up staying for 11. He was able to go fishing out on the boat and when they returned Jac looked good and felt good. Then six weeks later he was gone.”

 

Arbor Hospice also helped the family come to terms with what was going to happen. “You’re never prepared for the end, but they made sure I knew what to expect. On the day he passed I had gone out in the morning, but I wanted to be home when the nurse came that day. When I came home it was 10 minutes and he was gone. I thanked him for waiting.”

 

“We had a good experience with Arbor Hospice; Jac lived and died by his terms, with a little help along the way.”