Legacy Matters

Leaving no one behind

In Fitchburg, Mass, a hospice just for dying veterans, the only one of its kind.

"Coming here is better than going to a hospital," said Bill Bouchard, 49, a Coast Guard veteran with liver and lung cancer. "I have no family left."
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"It's nice to talk to people who understand" the needs and emotions of ailing veterans, said Bouchard, a former Boston resident who moved here in October from Daytona Beach, Fla. "I was getting sicker, and I wanted to see some old friends [in Massachusetts] before I kick off."

The nonprofit hospice, begun in 1993 by Lightfoot, a former Army medic, can accommodate 12 residents in its seven bedrooms. All clients have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and are no longer able to care for themselves.
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For Martha Gauvin, the hospice's health coordinator, the opportunity to work with veterans is profoundly rewarding.

"To be with veterans when they're dying, it's really and truly a great honor," Gauvin said.
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"The vets say: Leave no one behind," O'Connor said. "We're not going to do that here."

Well said, well done/