Photo: Carolyn Jones, courtesy of The American Nurse Project
They've Learned to Always Keep Miracles Up Their Sleeves
Elisa Frazer, RN
Tidewell Hospice, Port Charlotte, Florida
Elisa Frazer has worked in health-care administration for more than 30 years and is now a nurse case manager at an inpatient hospice house, where she cares for the dying and their families.
"As a nurse, I always fixed things; now I had to learn to fix things in a different way. I can't make my [hospice] patients better, but I can improve their situation. I can make sure we get financial aid for a funeral if the family can't afford it. I can arrange a wedding, which I've done several times. Once we had sixty people here for a catered affair, and it was actually beautiful. The bride wore her wedding gown to sleep that night. In another wedding, the groom was only in his twenties, but he had a brain tumor. His girlfriend had just given birth, and we had their wedding in the gazebo, with the six-month-old in her arms. It was so touching because the groom was able to stand up for the entire ceremony. These are like little miracles we can make happen."
Published 08/08/2013
