Surfing From the Hospital Bed

One of my most endearing memories working with hospice patients was when I worked with a patient who had ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  ALS is one of the most unforgiving illnesses and quality of life can easily and quickly slip away when the illness is advanced.  As a hospice social worker I cared about the quality of life that I could support through patient choice and advocacy.  My hospice had acquired some virtual reality goggles and we had the opportunity to offer our patients a chance to “go wherever you want to go”.  This particular patient said, “Well, I’ve never been surfing  and I’ve always wanted to try.”  So my bed-bound, terminally ill patient whose body no longer worked and was failing more every day, went surfing.  This was the first time I had done an activity like this with a patient and I wasn’t prepared for the gift we would both receive that day.  What an experience!  My patient fulfilled a lifelong dream and I felt I had literally accomplished the impossible.  One of the hardest things about working with the terminally ill is facing mortality, especially when the life lived feels cut short.  But when you are forced to think of quality of life a bit differently, there are gems you can uncover and that’s where the beauty lies.  My patient transitioned not long after this experience but the impacts of this experience continue to be felt by both the family and myself.