“He had already known before I was diagnosed that I wanted to be married. And he made it happen,” she said.
Liana’s family surprised her with a wedding ceremony on March 30. A best friend purchased a new dress for Liana while others arranged makeup and hairstyling, food and music at the family’s Kentucky home.
“It was special. It was precious. It was meaningful,” said Liana’s stepfather, Dennis Dio Parker. “I have no doubt in terms of a bucket list this becomes her crown-topping moment.”
As a newlywed, Liana has been able to check other bucket list items off her list. She has taken a joy ride with her dad in his sports car. And she has enjoyed a massage at home thanks to Bluegrass Care Navigator’s Integrative Medicine program, which provides therapies to patients and families that complement their medical care.
Most importantly, Liana has enjoyed time with friends and family, especially her new husband and twin sister Melissa.
“I just thought that going home with hospice meant you’d be gone in a few days. I got married March 30 and I just feel like, I can do this,” said Liana. “Hospice is not just the end of the line. Sometimes it’s making things you’ve been waiting 21 years for happen faster.”
Hospice care is a choice for patients who are no longer seeking curative treatment for an illness, and instead seek to focus on quality of life and managing symptoms. Patients receive care wherever they call home from an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, certified nursing assistants, social workers and chaplains. The hospice team helps the patient with pain and other discomforting symptoms, daily activities, emotional and spiritual support, medication and equipment management, and support for caregivers.
Hospice care is typically covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance. As a nonprofit hospice organization, no family is turned away from Bluegrass Care Navigators based on their ability to pay for services.
