Why I Support Hospice of the Western Reserve

BY: Dr. Alfred F. Connors, Jr., MD, Chair, Hospice of the Western Reserve Board of Directors

​When my 83-year-old father was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2003, it was devastating for my mother and my seven siblings.  Even as a physician, this news was very difficult for me to hear.  While he began radiation therapy to reduce symptoms, we knew that his life would not be extended for more than a few months.

During this time, he grew increasingly fatigued, and my mother feared she wouldn’t be able to give him the care he needed.  I suggested Hospice of the Western Reserve.  Mom was nervous at first about bringing strangers into her home, but when she met the HWR team, she liked them immediately.  HWR began helping that very day. The effect on my parents was profound.  We all realized that we had a wonderful partner who was going to be by our side through everything, allowing us to focus on what mattered. 

My family was able to keep my father at home until he died peacefully with all of us by his side.  Hospice of the Western Reserve made that possible.  And they did it cheerfully and with kindness, compassion and consideration.

When my mother suffered a massive stroke five months later, we again called HWR. My mother told us many times that she wanted to die in her own home.  The HWR team made this possible.  They helped us get Mom home from the hospital.  They supported us as we cared for her over the next few days.  Thanks to HWR she died peacefully surrounded by her family.

I remain deeply grateful to HWR for the care that they provided to my parents and my family.  So, when I was asked to join the HWR Board of Directors in 2012, I immediately accepted.  I am now serving in my third year as chairman of the board.

I serve Hospice of the Western Reserve as a board member because I have seen first-hand the impact of their services to patients and their families.  I serve because I have experienced the kindness and professionalism of their staff.  I serve because I want to be sure that our community always has Hospice of the Western Reserve to turn to when families are most vulnerable. 

These are also the reasons that I give. I hope that you will join me in supporting Hospice of the Western Reserve with a gift.  Your donation makes the care provided to my parents—and thousands of other patients and families in our community—possible.

With deep appreciation,

Dr. Alfred F. Connors, Jr., MD
Chair, Hospice of the Western Reserve Board of Directors

To make a donation, click here.