Category: Patient & Family Stories

Joy is not canceled. Kindness is not canceled. And most of all, life is not canceled. COVID-19 may have forced extra precautions, changed our routines and altered our plans, but the virus cannot prevent the human spirit from enduring—even thriving. No one can speak better to the trials and tribulations of life than those who …

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“I, Lorena Charlotte, am the only living member of my family, the eldest daughter born August 27, 1912, in Chicago, Illinois, weighing three and three quarter pounds.” So opens the memoir of nation’s oldest-living member of the SPARs, the women’s branch of the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II. The opening line of Lorena …

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A family stitched together with love seldom unravels. – Letty Cottin Pogrebin A living room is transformed into a bustling sewing room. There sit neatly folded fabrics of all sizes and colors, partially completed quilts and other hopeful patterns and plans. The room now whirrs with the comforting hum of sewing machines and the snip …

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Gerald (Gary) and Donna Ebeling built a lifetime of memories in 53 years of marriage. Opposites attract, they say. For Gary and Donna this adage rings true. He enjoyed traveling and she is more of a homebody. Gary had a more serious disposition, while Donna is light-hearted. But they shared a fondness and respect for …

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Gauge Niemeier had soft, wispy red hair—a trait his father Trent beams about because every generation of the Niemeiers has just one boy with red hair. His beautiful blue eyes were just like his mom, Brandi’s. Gauge’s spirit shined, exemplifying hope, light and unwavering resilience. He was the apple of his parents’ eyes. Gauge was …

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Bill and Gwen Hejl’s relationship was kismet. From the moment they met, their lives were suddenly, forever entwined. Their paths connected when Bill was set up on a blind date at the Wayne County Fair in Goldsboro, N.C. As it turned out, his full attention was on his blind date’s friend, Gwen. It was at …

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Interconnected and stitched like the perfectly placed patterns of a handmade quilt, the friendship of Lois Wisted, 100, and Charlotte Hoeglund, 99, has stood the test of time. They met by happenstance, but they intentionally kept in touch throughout the past seven decades, sharing many treasured memories. Their lives have taken them throughout the world, …

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Angie Milner has cared for hundreds of patients in her four-plus years as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) with Hospice of the Red River Valley. In early February, a chance encounter with a patient revealed an unexpected connection. The experience reaffirmed for Angie why she loves her job. As a “float” CNA, Angie travels wherever …

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Arlyn Mogck was the planner. A licensed public accountant with a mind for detail, it was ingrained in his personality. In fact, he had mapped out his life in three equal segments, with a purpose to each: The first 30 years was for starting a career and family. The next 30 was for setting him …

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Albert Shirek remembers everything in life from age five on. As a life-long farmer, many of his memories stem from 33,000 hours on a tractor, combing the fields. He and his wife, Stephany, spent their lives on a farmstead, from birth through retirement. They understood firsthand the lesson imparted by famed businessman and philanthropist Howard …

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