Compassion in Action: World Day of the Sick
Extend Comfort and Care to Families in Need
Emmanuel Hospice provides comfort, dignity, and support to individuals and families facing serious illness throughout West Michigan. As we observe World Day of the Sick on February 11, we invite you to join us in extending compassionate care to those experiencing life’s most challenging moments.
Your gift helps ensure that every person who turns to Emmanuel Hospice for help, regardless of background or ability to pay, receives the emotional, spiritual, and holistic support that brings peace and comfort during vulnerable times. Together, we can offer hope and presence to our neighbors when they need care and compassion. Read below about Pat's story, one of many inspiring accounts of families who have navigated a difficult journey with courage and grace.
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Support in Sickness, Support in Faith
“I could not have done this without Emmanuel’s support. Everyone who came in gave us the strength and resources to do what we needed to do. The love and support we got from the whole hospice team was priceless.”
Pat (Sobie) Kensil lost her 91-year-old mother and husband of 52 years within eight days of one another. She leaned heavily on her Catholic faith and her incredible care team at Emmanuel Hospice to navigate these unimaginable losses with quiet grace and immense strength.
“Everyone from Emmanuel walked with us every minute and gave us peace. I can’t say enough of what hospice is and does, and how everybody, whether you have no faith or little faith or a lot of faith, benefits from hospice. This is an unmeasurable support everyone should be able to experience.”
“Everything we needed was brought together by God working through Emmanuel Hospice. They brought in every resource we needed. They told us about Katie, the grief counselor. She came in and made molds of our hands, then his thumbprint, which she made into a heart. Sister Faustina would bring Holy Communion, talk with me and Wayne and just put the whole family at ease. I told Wayne ‘we will keep you home.’ And Emmanuel allowed us to do that. When he needed a hospital bed and then a lift and medication, they brought everything to us. They told us what to expect. They were always here for moral support.”
Emmanuel Hospice first cared for Pat’s mom, Kathleen, and then for Pat’s own husband, Wayne when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer. When treatments failed to deliver results for Wayne, they asked for support. Pat says ‘he never complained or felt sorry for himself’, and that he worried about concerning his mother in law Kathleen with whom he had a special bond.
“I could not have done this without Emmanuel’s support. Everyone who came in gave us the strength and resources to do what we needed to do. The love and support we got from the whole hospice team was priceless.”
Pat’s mother died at 7:15 a.m. on Aug. 13. Pat was by her bedside, holding her mother’s hand and praying a rosary the night before she died. Pat’s husband died at 7:15 p.m. eight days later – just two days after their 52nd wedding anniversary.
Pat plans to continue sharing the story of her double heartbreak to ensure others have support in their times of greatest need.