Sucker Punch - Journey of Renewed Faith

In the hustle and bustle of this thing called life I found myself going through the motions.  I felt like I was a good husband, a good father, worked hard, went to church, did the right things, and quite frankly things were going smooth.  I knew there was more to life, more to my faith in Jesus, and honestly I may have been a little scared to challenge my faith because things were going smooth.  2013 was a wonderful year for Project 4031 as the organization was able to strengthen the end of life journeys of people around the world and support the loved ones around them.  4031 went international, as we were able to send equipment and supplies to the Hospice and Palliative Care team in Belize.  After our November fundraiser the same organization that helped us get the needed equipment to Belize invited us on a vision trip to Belize to explore needs and how we could assist in the future.  My wife and normally the conservative one in our marriage didn’t even hesitate on going…she knew in her heart we were supposed go.  A million things crossed my mind of why we shouldn’t go – our son, my full time job, meetings, etc.; however, Everything fell into position and silly excuses quickly were just that “excuses” as the Lord truly opened up my schedule, made provisions for our son, and it just made sense.  By New Years we were only a couple weeks away from our trip and a peace and excitement overwhelmed my spirit.  Kristina and I didn’t know what to expect, but a great piece of advice was offered to us and I am glad we took it, “Don’t go expecting anything…go with an open heart and let God do the rest.”  January 11^th finally came and we were off to the airport for an easy 2.5-hour flight.  We landed with no issues and were able to zip through customs with our group (2612 Foundation, Word at Work, Accolade Home Health and Hospice Employees, and a wonderful lady named Judy who was is an labor and delivery RN at a local hospital).  Most of our group was clinically focused (Nurses, Doctors, and Social workers mostly focused on hospice and palliative care).  Most of our team were rookies, led by a few veterans who had been to Belize on several occasions.  Tim Tam and Kenny from Word at Work (our host for the week) greeted our group just outside as the heat hit our face (which was nice since we left a frigid TX climate); they know everyone and know the country better than Google maps.  By the time we arrived to our hotel the day had already escaped us so we took this time to get to know each other.  It was pretty neat to see how the Lord hand picked us and seemed like all of us were supposed to be on this journey, to explore the current and future needs of the Belizean people and other organizations already in the country.  We shared a wonderful meal with each other and simply learned about each other’s story; Kristina and I went to bed excited about the week ahead.  Day 2 started early as we went and worshipped at a local church and other medical missionaries…pretty amazing experience to worship the Lord in a whole new place.  After church and a quick lunch we drove 3 hours to visit one patient.  At first I was a little frustrated that we were only going to see one patient; man was I selfish and wrong!  We were able to bring a geri chair (reclining chair on wheels) as the 40-year-old patient wanted to be able to go outside with her Family and newest addition to her a family a Grandson.  This patient was in tremendous pain as cancer engulfed multiple parts of her body, so not only did the recliner enable her to go outside, but also have additional comfort.  The doctors and nurses in the group evaluated her pain and walked the family through the stages they can expect as her illness progresses; although difficult this was a beautiful time to see the power of hospice care in its purest form (100% volunteer team).  Day 3 we were able to spend a couple of hours at a local nursing home; visiting with patients, staff, and getting an overview of future needs of equipment and supplies.  The nursing home was very clean and made the best of every resource they had; however, we look forward to upgrading their equipment to hopefully give more comfort to the patients.  After this visit we were able to explore different ministries already in place, meeting with the leadership of Mary Open Door (helps women and children) and then we had a personal tour from the founder and Chairman of the Kolbe Foundation, which is the central prison for Belize.  Mr. John Woods and the Kolbe Foundation completely turned around the renovation and philosophy of the prison.  I could write another post just on our experience at the prison; bottom-line, very powerful experience to see how hope and truth was instilled on these men and women confined in the prison for years or for some the rest of their lives.  Day 4 we were able to see more patients, one in particular we were able to set up a hospital bed so he could rest comfortably.  Day 4 also marked our final night, which quickly became a beautiful time together as a group to share how we were impacted and what our next steps will be.  One of the men in the group encouraged us to be quiet for a couple of weeks when we got back to seek the Lord and not to get discouraged by the “noise” of all the needs in which we saw.  I am glad I heard these words because I wanted to help everyone.  Belize is a beautiful country filled with some of the poorest conditions I have ever seen.  Men working grueling hours only make between $8 and $15 a day.  Everyone we encountered were so pleasant and displayed a true sense of joy…this is where my sucker punch came.  The littlest thing can be annoying (the internet is running slow, my dinner reservation is late, or my Iphone just died).  All of which are so circumstantial and these amazing people find tremendous joy in their faith and are not bogged down with the things of this world.  This short trip opened my eyes to the realities of this world and I pray the Lord guide us and show us the way…show us how we can help impact His Kingdom.  Kristina and I were so blessed to be able to spend a week seeing the Lord move in a whole new way…renewing and expanding our faith in Jesus. Project 4031 is honored to join Dr. Beatrice Thomas and her team of volunteers as they bring hospice and palliative care to Belize.  Please stay tuned as we are working with Dr. B, Word at Work, and the 2612 Foundation to bring hospice solutions to Belize.  Please pray and consider donating your time, resources, or expertise so we can help strengthen the end of life stories of patients and their families across the beautiful country of Belize. 

A Time of Thanksgiving

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, not just because of the cooling weather here in Texas or the leaves changing; but I really enjoy reflecting on the timeline over the last several months both personally and with Project 4031.  I guess, as you get older and maybe having a young child in the mix helps; the year seems to fly by.  Kristina and I enjoy chasing our 18 month old son Jack around…it has been such a joy to see him grow so much this year.  This year has also been exciting for Project 4031, as 2013 marked 4031’s first full year of service and through the many prayers, support, and love of all of you reading this blog we have had the opportunity to touch over 30 families here in the United States and as of November 18^th we sent our first shipment of medical equipment to Belize which will touch many terminally ill patients, their families, and volunteer caregivers.  We doubled our attendance and financial support in our annual fundraiser dinner celebrating hospice month, which was held on Thursday November 7^th.  We exceeded our goal by $4,000, with net proceeds of $24,000 and $2,000 of monthly commitments through November 2014.  Touching lives, sharing our stories, and determined to get better every year; the 4031 Family has so much to be thankful for and are so excited to continue our journey to strengthening the end of life stories of people around the globe.  During the holidays there is always a rise in needs and of course fulfilling dreams, so please consider volunteering some time to serve others or perhaps making a tax deductible year-end donation.  If you know of a terminally ill patient with a need or a dream, please give Project 4031 the opportunity to serve.  Thank you for all that you do for Project 4031.  Be sure to check out our News Letter later this month of course future blog post to find out about 2014 volunteer opportunities and our Spring Golf Classic.  I pray you have an awesome and blessed Christmas Season and please reach out if there is a need!  Merry Christmas!

A Million Thanks,

Josh

First Fulfilled Dream!

We have Fulfilled our first Dream!!! Baptist Hospice reached out to us to help Fulfill a dream for a loving family who just lost their husband and grandfather.  This sweet man and bride took their grandson in when he was just a few weeks old and over the years they have lost several family members. Recently, the matriarch, loving husband, and grandfather spent his last days on hospice in the comfort of his home and along side his loving family.  Now the grandmother has been left to raise her young grandson who has lost his mother and siblings in recent years.  To create some happy family memories, we asked the family if there was something special they would like to do; the grandson quickly answered he wanted to go to a local Water Park in his hometown.  We were able to grant the family with season passes for the summer of 2014 along with a basket full of goodies for him and his grandmother to enjoy! 

It was an honor to meet and be touched by such a loving and caring family. It was evident that even through their heartache they still remain strong in their faith and love.  We will forever be touched by this dear family and look forward to Fulfilling many more dreams in the future.  It is the small things in life, being able to love on someone in a time of need.  Thank you all for your support.

And in the words of the sweet grandson, "I hope I never forget this day...this is the best day of my life."  

Program helps transition patients from hospital room to bedroom

Program helps transition patients from hospital room to bedroom: HAZARD — Patients at the Hazard and Whitesburg ARH hospitals who may require more help after they go home now may not have to worry about life after discharge if they qualify for a new trans...

Palliative Care — A Shifting Paradigm

Palliative care focuses on relieving suffering and achieving the best possible quality of life for patients and their family caregivers. It involves the assessment and treatment of symptoms; support for decision making and assistance in matching treatments to informed patient and family goals; practical aid for patients and their family caregivers; mobilization of community resources to ensure a secure and safe living environment; and collaborative and seamless models of care across a range of care settings (i.e., hospital, home, nursing home, and hospice). Palliative care is provided both within the Medicare hospice benefit (hospice palliative care) and outside it (nonhospice palliative care). Nonhospice palliative care is offered simultaneously with life-prolonging and curative therapies for persons living with serious, complex, and life-threatening illness. Hospice palliative care becomes appropriate when curative treatments are no longer beneficial, when the burdens of these treatments exceed their benefits, or when patients are entering the last weeks to months of life.

Comprehensive palliative care services integrate the expertise of a team of providers from different disciplines to address the complex needs of seriously ill patients and their families. Members of a palliative care team typically include professionals from medicine, nursing, and social work, with additional support from chaplaincy and professionals in nutrition, rehabilitation, pharmacy, and other professional disciplines, as needed. These programs are now available at more than 80% of large U.S. hospitals (those with more than 300 beds), where most Americans receive their care during complex and advanced illness.

Research shifts a long-held paradigm that has limited access to palliative care to patients who were predictably and clearly dying. The new approach recognizes that life-threatening illness, whether it can be cured or controlled, carries with it significant burdens of suffering for patients and their families and that this suffering can be effectively addressed by modern palliative care teams. Perhaps unsurprisingly, reducing patients' misery may help them live longer. We now have both the means and the knowledge to make palliative care an essential and routine component of evidence-based, high-quality care for the management of serious illness.


Amy S. Kelley, M.D., M.S.H.S., and Diane E. Meier, M.D.

NHPCO

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

Mission: To lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life.

 

Vision:  A world where individuals and families facing serious illness, death, and grief will experience the best that humankind can offer.

 

Values: NHPCO believes in: Service… engaging customers; Respect… honoring others; Excellence… exceeding expectations; Collaboration…fostering partnerships; Stewardship… managing resources

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is the largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. The organization is committed to improving end of life care and expanding access to hospice care with the goal of profoundly enhancing quality of life for people dying in America and their loved ones. 
Considered to be the model for quality, compassionate care at the end of life, hospice care involves a team-oriented approach of expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient's wishes. Emotional and spiritual support also is extended to the family and loved ones. Generally, this care is provided in the patient's home or in a home-like setting operated by a hospice program. Medicare, private health insurance, and Medicaid in most states cover hospice care for patients who meet certain criteria.
With headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization advocates for the terminally ill and their families. It also develops public and professional educational programs and materials to enhance understanding and availability of hospice and palliative care; convenes frequent meetings and symposia on emerging issues; provides technical informational resources to its membership; conducts research; monitors Congressional and regulatory activities; and works closely with other organizations that share an interest in end of life care.
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization was founded in 1978 as the National Hospice Organization. The organization changed its name in February 2000 to include palliative care. Many hospice care programs added palliative care to their names to reflect the range of care and services they provide, as hospice care and palliative care share the same core values and philosophies. Defined by the World Health Organization in 1990, palliative care seeks to address not only physical pain, but also emotional, social, and spiritual pain to achieve the best possible quality of life for patients and their families. Palliative care extends the principles of hospice care to a broader population that could benefit from receiving this type of care earlier in their illness or disease process. To better serve individuals who have advanced illness or are terminally ill and their families, many hospice programs encourage access to care earlier in the illness or disease process. Health care professionals who specialize in hospice and palliative care work closely with staff and volunteers to address all the symptoms of illness, with the aim of promoting comfort and dignity.

Hospice Medication Alert: Vicodin® and Generic Substitution

Hospice Medication Alert: Vicodin® and Generic Substitution: Dr. Julia Harder, PharmD, CGP

At Outcome Resources, we have noticed many costly claims for brand name Vicodin (hydrocodone/acetaminophen). Typically, when a prescriber writes a prescription for a brand-name medication for which a generic equivalent is available, the dispensing pharmacy will substitute the generic version, unless the prescriber specifically indicates on the prescription that no generic substitution is allowed...