As spring approaches, I would like to share something very special. A memory of what Ionia Area Hospice did for a person I hold dear in my heart.
Christy, my wonderful wife of 60 years, died just last year after a five-year long struggle with Alzheimer’s.
Thanks to the people at Ionia Area Hospice, Christy finished her days at Stoneleigh Residence, with dignity, free of pain and suffering; she was at peace. Most importantly, she died in a circle of love, with caring staff and family by her side.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what Ionia Area Hospice means to me.
But here is something that you might not know: Our non-profit, community hospice can’t continue to survive without your help. This is the straight forward, unvarnished truth. The kind of care that Ionia Area Hospice provides includes so many more things that Medicare/Medicaid fees and other insurance reimbursements just won’t cover.
That is why we are reaching out, to ask you to make a tax-deductible gift today – as much as you can afford – to help Ionia Area Hospice & Stoneleigh Residence continue their mission: to serve all by bringing kindness, respect, and quality to the end of life.
Your gift will go right to work, helping families cope with the day-to-day care of their loved one. It will also help alleviate their confusion, the doubts and fears that surround a loved one’s death.
Every gift makes a difference in someone’s life…. and in their death.
Your gift of $100… helps provide extra supplies not covered by insurance, like temporal thermometers, bed pads, ointments and specialty food supplements.
Your gift of $200… helps Ionia Area Hospice & Stoneleigh Residence provide a chaplain for spiritual support, a music therapist, a massage therapist, and even a pet therapist for patients and families to make the most of their time they have left together.
Your gift of $500… helps offset the cost of mileage and sending nurses and aids out – no matter the hour and location – in the 100 square mile territory for regular visits and around the clock care.
Please follow your heart and give as generously as you can manage. I know that some of the items above may not seem life changing to you, but they will significantly impact all that Ionia Area Hospice serves. Please don’t underestimate the power of your gift.
I frequently make “In memory of” gifts to Hospice and other organizations identified by the families of friends who die. With Ionia Area Hospice, both your name and the name of the loved one are featured and thanked in their annual donor report*. Of course, if you prefer, your gift may remain anonymous.
I miss Christy very much and remember her with great affection. My promise to love and cherish her all of the days of her life is one that I kept, and I will love her all the days of mine. When loved ones pass, we may not know what to do… That’s when hospice matters the most.
Making a gift to Ionia Area Hospice & Stoneleigh Residence is one of the best ways we can honor memories and keep our love alive. I hope that you will join me in making a gift today.
With sincere thanks and appreciation,
J. Irvin Nichols, Loving Husband and Father