Walkers and contributors needed
SPRINGFIELD When Marcia Albano of Longmeadow laces up for this year's Step Out for Hospice on June 4, she'll be walking in memory of her mother, Virginia Daly, who lived in South Hadley before her death on March 12, 2005.
She and other walkers both friends and family members have put a team together to participate in the seventh annual Walkathon which benefits hospice services at Baystate Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice.
In February, Daly was diagnosed with leukemia, the end result of a blood disease she had been fighting for the past six years. She was given just weeks to live.
"We knew how my mother would die, they told us when she first got sick," Albano said. But no one is ever prepared for the death of a loved one. And when Daly told her family she wanted to die at home, they were concerned about their ability to provide the care she would need in her final days.
"If someone wants to know what it's like to have angels all around you, it's Hospice," Albano said about the help they received after contacting the Baystate Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice.
But taking the first step to call Hospice for help was difficult and "at first very frightening," Albano said, noting once the commitment was made to talk with professionals from Hospice, "things got a little easier."
But with the support and help of Hospice, a family care schedule was created and Daly was brought home where she wanted to be. Family and friends came to visit her during her final days, and she remained comfortable and family members were present when she died.
And, although Daly's other daughter, Pat Jarosz, was far away in Santa Clara, Calif., during her mother's final days, she, too, was able to take comfort in knowing the Baystate Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice was close at hand.
"I didn't really know too much about what hospice was until I spoke with them. They were so helpful to the entire family. I couldn't be there and it was such a relief to know someone was there to help my family and that my mother could be at home where she wanted to be," Jarosz said.
After learning recently about this year's Step Out for Hospice fundraiser, Albano said she knew they had to form a team to support the effort.
"We were just so touched in every way by their help to us that we wanted to give back in return," said Albano, noting they have already surpassed their goal of $250 and have raised over $1,000.
Albano attributed part of their success in surpassing their goal so quickly to the new web tool available through Hospice to assist walk participants in their fundraising efforts. Using the new tool, her son, Craig Albano, who lives in Boston, created his own Alvord Place Walkers website at http://www.justgiving.com/pfp/gram.
This year's walk - a scenic route through Forest Park in Springfield - will step off at 10 a.m. from the grandstand area at Forest Park.
Step Out for Hospice participants raise sponsorships from their friends, family and coworkers which help pay for the compassionate end of life care of patients and their families provided by the Baystate Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice.
"The event is not about how far you can walk, but that everyone can participate to help ensure Hospice care will be available for any patient who needs it," said Colette Dill, co-chair of the Step Out for Hospice Steering Committee.
Registration on walk day is at 9 a.m. across from the grandstand.
Walkers raising more than $50 will receive a Step Out for Hospice T-shirt while supplies last.
Last year more than 200 walkers participated in the sixth annual Step Out for Hospice and raised over $70,000, the largest in its history.
To obtain walk papers, or for more information on the event or the new virtual walk website, call 413-827-4535 or visit www.baystatehealth.com/vna.
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