Day 2: Joyful until the very End

“What still brings you joy?” This was today’s question at St. Luke’s day hospice, where patients sat around a lovely festive table preparing to answer that exact question while staff and volunteers listened lovingly. Even though St. Luke’s is one of AIAIA’s earliest partners, no delegation has previously attended a day hospice before, so we entered with slight apprehension but were welcomed into the heart of an extremely beautiful and vulnerable sharing of the patients’ illnesses. As they moved around the table giving full attention to each speaker, the theme of family and the preciousness of loved ones arose again and again as did faith in God’s goodness and the deep gratitude to having woken up to live another day. Each person, despite sharing details of their struggles, pain, and progression also provided multiple reasons they feel filled with joy.

This was a deeply powerful and connecting experience for those at St. Luke’s and the delegation as we all exist in relationship to family and friends who go down similar roads of illness and health, pain and joy, grief and gratitude.

Patients are welcomed into hospice at onset of their diagnosis. This is a unique model which allows many not only weeks or months but often year to share in community with others. St. Luke’s day hospice creates a safe, supportive, and loving space for patients to feel connected to others, engage in meaningful activities, share a meal with friends, and process personal feelings around dying and grief with others going through similar challenges.

St. Luke’s also houses a thrift shop that has been present in the area for 28 years. This provides a place where community can find economical attire while helping support the purchase of supplies and resources for the hospice. Two of the original founders were still there today dedicated to the cause.

It felt wonderful to be reunited with long term partner and dear friend, Ronita, whom many of you might of had the pleasure of meeting at last year’s summer fundraiser. Her passion and dedication have been pivotal in helping St. Luke’s reach around 700 patients annually through their palliative care, home-based services, and day hospices.

This year’s delegation has 3 returning board members and 9 who are seeing, feeling, and experiencing South Africa for the first time.