Cat Maselka shares her family's Hospice experience
In her words...
The very moment my family needed it, I admit I didn’t know much about hospice care.
I didn’t know that our own Frederick Health Hospice had been serving the people of Frederick County for over 40 years without regard for their ability to pay.
And I didn’t know that Kline Hospice House, a residential option for patients and their families with 24-hour, around-the-clock care, was just a few miles from our house.
I am sharing our hospice story with the hope that you will consider making a gift to Frederick Health Hospice. Your support will help ensure that others—perhaps even you or a loved one—will be able to access Hospice’s unique type of care if and when you need it.
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, our hospice story began in January of 2017 when my husband Troy had surgery to remove a typically non-cancerous growth from his head called a solitary fibrous tumor. When they wheeled Troy into the OR, we had high hopes for his complete recovery.
Six hours later, however, the neurosurgeon appeared in the waiting room and said the words that would change our lives: "It’s not what I thought it was, and I couldn’t get it all.”
With that single sentence, Troy’s journey from this life to the next began… one that began with all the hope in the world that his life could be saved, and ended with the very different kind of hope that only Frederick Health
Hospice could offer.
After four years of aggressive treatment, I had to face the fact that, at 49 years old, my larger-than-life husband was facing his final days. I knew I would need help to care for him when he was discharged from the hospital, but I had no idea where to go or what to do next.
When a friend told me about Kline Hospice House, I could feel a sense of hope returning.
Because we arrived at Kline House during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, our experience there was a bit different from that of other families. I knew immediately that I could lean on the compassionate staff to answer my questions and give me advice. They knew just what Troy and I needed. The care team surrounded our entire family, leading us through what could have been an even darker time without their gentle guidance.
Music had always helped Troy communicate when words failed him, so he had a tablet in his room loaded with playlists for his every mood. He thoroughly enjoyed making a new friend in Hospice’s music therapist, Georgia, who visited him often with her guitar, playing songs that had been special to us throughout our lives. His appetite was not very reliable, but when he thought a bucket of chicken, some guacamole and a cold IPA beer sounded good, that’s what he got!
Choosing Hospice for Troy’s last days was the best decision I could have made for our family… and for that, I will be forever grateful.
Troy lived at Kline House for two weeks. And when I say lived, I really mean it. We stayed in the moment. We made new memories. There was music and laughter and plenty of tears. And it was perfect.
Being able to see and visit with Dad, even from a distance, was especially important to our children. Visits from Hospice’s music therapist were a highlight of Troy’s day.
