I have started this website to be a place where you can find encouragement, resources and discussion on end of life care. In addition to that, it is a sharing space to tell your story, to remember a special someone, or to help others along the way. My name is Marygrace Lomboy, and I’m a Nurse Practitioner and I work both in hospice home care and in an inpatient hospice unit. I am dedicating this page to my dear father, Carmen DiPipi, who passed away March 18, 2012. He was my greatest teacher of love, compassion and courage. I have worked in the hospice field since 2000, and I have to admit that prior to the experience of my Dad passing away—I really didn’t understand the depth of beauty that is possible at the end of a person’s life.
The experience transformed my family and also my practice. The moments leading up to his passing were incredibly intense—but filled with so much love and opportunity for sharing. It brought our family together to a place we had never been before. It was a truly sacred time for all of us, and a time that will be marked in my memory forever. I have been privileged to witness so many beautiful moments of love at the end of a person’s life. I was once told by an acquaintance just how sad hospice is and how is it that I can work in such incredibly depressing conditions. I don’t see it as that at all… I see it as a place of great light—my patients and their families are my teachers. It’s about living life and what is most important. It’s about living each moment and making every day count. My patients have no agendas, just the day to day realty.
I feel like I’m walking on sacred ground each and every time I care for my patients and their families. So many miracles happen along the way. Anyone who has gone through this with a person that they have loved most likely has a story to tell. This space is a forum to share your thoughts and stories to those who may be going through a difficult time now. It is also a place to celebrate the memory of a loved one. It is my wish that we share our words to every patient, caregiver and family member who are going through challenging times—to encourage, to give hope, and to send love their way.