How Do You Plan for the Future When in Hospice?

One of the toughest things for us to navigate with Soraya in hospice is planning.

For example, planning trips or events that are years away is just something we don’t do. But even more immediate planning, such as transitioning from 6th grade (middle school) to 7th grade (junior high), is really tricky – and the time is now to pick classes for 7th grade.

So, I take our palliative care physician’s advice: plan for the best-case scenario, and the worst-case scenario, and keep living each day.

Last week, I met with a whole new group of school staff at the junior high to describe Soraya – who she was, who she is, and where her life appears to be headed.

We hope she will attend 2 classes as she does now (best case). We also set up a meeting the week that school starts in case she’s unable to attend (worst case).

Then come the questions – all applicable – but WOW so hard. What’s her life expectancy? What happens if she dies within the next two years? Will the school staff have support?

Reliving the words of our reality is so tough. To get strangers to see what we see and live in the perspective of life that we are in takes it all out of me.

It helps to have this community to share these things with – not just what’s happening but all the feelings that get stirred up. Thank you for being here ❤️

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