Methodist Hospice Program Cares for Pediatric Patients & Their Families
For Chandra Boyer, her miracle is her daughter, Hannah.
“She’s my miracle baby. Hannah is feisty. She loves lions. She wants to be a doctor really bad. She is a natural caretaker. She is very, very active. She is a lot of fun!”
Two years ago, 4-year-old Hannah, along with her Mom, Chandra, Dad, Arlen, and brother, Asher, moved from Buffalo, NY to Memphis to receive Leukemia treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Following a relapse in December 2016, Hannah and Chandra returned to Memphis.
In addition to their care at St. Jude, the Boyers receive care from Methodist Hospice through the Quality of Life for All (QoLA) Kids Program.
“QoLA Kids is a very important part of Methodist Hospice. We provide hospice, palliative, home care and perinatal hospice services for 100 chronically or terminally ill pediatric patients and their families each year,” explained Rachel Bolick, QoLA Kids Social Worker.
Through QoLA Kids, Hannah and her family receive consistent, compassionate support within their residence at the Target House from a multidisciplinary team of caregivers that includes physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, spiritual counselors and child life specialists.
Before Hannah was diagnosed, the Boyers enjoyed outdoor activities and had many friends at home. Moving for treatment caused them to lose touch with friends, and because Hannah is immunosuppressed, she can’t be in groups of people or outdoors.
The QoLA Kids program helps Chandra and Hannah feel less isolated.
“You feel like you have someone you can reach out to 24 hours a day. We get very individualized support, which is really wonderful. It feels like your own community of people who are there to support you and your kid,” shared Chandra. “It’s really helpful to have nurse Katrina come by to take labs, deliver supplies, answer medical questions and check on things.”
The QoLA Kids care team strives to support the overall quality of life of patients and families by addressing their physical as well as social, emotional and spiritual needs.
“Rachel, our social worker, has been a huge help in finding different resources in the community for us that I didn’t know about. The Child Life Specialist has really helped with Hannah’s learning since she is unable to go to preschool. And Carla, the chaplain, has been really wonderful emotional support for us as we struggle with the ups and downs of relapse.”
The Boyers’ journey is not over. Hannah received her second bone marrow transplant in 2017, and she continues to fight against Leukemia, “Hannah has never lost her fight. She is a feisty kid, and she has always been ready to fight through it.”
If you would like to learn how your donations can support the QoLA Kids Program and patients and families like the Boyers, contact Joey Maurizi at joey.maurizi@mlh.org or 901-516-0996.