When Caroline Graboys, wife of BWH cardiologist Thomas Graboys, MD, learned in 1996 that she had advanced cancer, she knew that she would want to die at home—in her own bed, surrounded by family. When the right time came, the family turned to a hospice, which offers medical care and pain control to terminally ill patients, as well as counseling and emotional support for the whole family.
“They really focused on comfort care,” said Thomas Graboys, whose two daughters took leaves of absence from school and work to help him care for Caroline in the months preceding her death in February 1998. “They did anything and everything to make my wife comfortable and keep our family together. We treasured the emotional and physical contact we were able to have with her.”
In memory of Caroline and his sister, Marilynne Graboys Wool, who died of lung cancer in 1999, Thomas Graboys recently made a significant gift to the hospital. He also sought to honor the compassionate care Lawrence Shulman, MD, provided both women. The funds will support the Pain and Palliative Care Program, a joint venture of BWH and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), set for an official launch in January.
The new program, conceived by Shulman and Susan Block, MD, director of Adult Psychosocial Oncology at DFCI and BWH, will boast a team that includes physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, psychiatrists, pharmacists and resource specialists. It will improve upon traditional hospice services by offering care to all cancer patients, not just those at the end of life. It will allow patients to pursue curative treatments in addition to controlling pain. Families also will receive help coping with their grief both before and after their loved one dies. In short, said Block, the program will strive to maximize the quality of life for patients and families. “We’re so glad we were able to spend that time with Caroline,” said Graboys. “This program will be invaluable to patients and their families. We hope others will support it, too.”
To make a gift to the Pain and Palliative Care Program, or to support the hospital in general, contact the BWH Development Office at 617-732-5008.