Small gestures provide lasting comfort for patient’s family

When Judy Chamberlain drove home to Tavistock from St. Catharines after her brother Bob Lightheart passed away on March 5, it was as though he was riding with her.

Chamberlain had a small vial with a thread-like printout of Lightheart’s electrocardiogram performed in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Niagara Falls Hospital. Registered Nurse Madison Hvilivitzky gave the keepsake to Chamberlain after she and Lightheart’s wife, Tess, made the difficult decision to remove him from life support.

Hvilivitzky decorated the container with hearts, a gesture that’s part of the Three Wishes Program, which focuses on small, meaningful acts to provide comfort to patients and their families. She gave it to Chamberlain the day Lightheart, 76, died.

“You had something in your hand when you walked out of the hospital,” Chamberlain says. “I had my brother with me. It made a world of difference.”

Robert Cosby, Niagara Health’s Director of Patient Experience, says moments like these are at the heart of Patient Experience Week, which runs April 27 to May 1.

Patient Experience Week is a global initiative to celebrate healthcare staff, recognize their positive impact on patient care and foster a more person-centred, kinder healthcare.

“Judy describes how that small, personal gesture stayed with her as she left the hospital,” Cosby says. “It speaks to how deeply it matters when staff take the time to recognize who a patient is to their family and respond with care that feels personal and thoughtful.”

“This is care at its most human, and we are grateful to those who live it every day.”

The kindness and compassion that Chamberlain and her extended family experienced during Lightheart’s stay in the ICU didn’t stop there.

It was felt the moment Lightheart was admitted, she recalls.

It continued when the entire family was allowed to gather around his bed, rather than having to take turns spending time with him in his final hours.

It was present in the hugs that Hvilivitzky offered Lightheart’s family as they processed his prognosis.

“Maddy was like an angel. You could give her a hug and she’d hug you back. She was just like family,” Chamberlain says.

That compassion also came through in the conversations with Lightheart’s physician, Dr. Faraz Masood, who told the family that Lightheart was showing no neurological activity and guided them through the decision to withdraw care.  

“The next day the doctor called us all down to the room together. They handled it so well and explained everything, and what our options were. They were very patient while we made the decision,” Chamberlain says.

When the family decided to take Lightheart off life support, everyone was able to gather around him as he passed. A volunteer brought him a blanket, which the family was able to keep.

That comforting gesture inspired Chamberlain to ask her church knitting group to make blankets for patients at their local hospital.

Afterward, she was motivated to contact Niagara Health’s Patient Experience team, letting them know the impact of Lightheart’s care experience.

Patient Experience Week is a time to reflect on such comments, Cosby says.

“Patient Experience Week is an opportunity to pause and thank our teams for these moments that may feel small to them, but are life lasting for families,” Cosby says. “This is care at its most human, and we are grateful to those who live it every day.”

Chamberlain’s feedback “is meaningful beyond words,” Hvilivitzky says.

“I’ve wanted to be a nurse since I was a little,” she says. “My mom is a nurse, my brother is a nurse. I love my job and feel so grateful to be in a job I love and that I’m passionate about. Hearing that I made a positive difference, it’s the cherry on top.”

Empathy is central to the care she provides, she adds.

“You have to put yourself in their shoes. I can’t even imagine having a family member on life support and having to make a decision that’s life or death,” Hvilivitzky says. “Sometimes it’s not about having the right words. It’s about being present and being able to answer questions. You can be human and professional.”

That philosophy is echoed by Dr. Masood, who adds it’s essential to understand who patients are beyond their medical charts.

“For us, every patient experience is a learning experience,” Dr. Masood says. “Patients are our best teachers. When we talk to families, they sometimes share background, and behind the patient, there’s this whole person with their own world, who had huge impact on the people around them. Every time you’re with a patient, you get to experience these things.”

The recognition, he adds, is welcome but secondary.

“Here, the most important thing is not any recognition,” he says. “The most important thing is the person who passed, the family who is grieving. If, in their grieving, they’re praising their healthcare team, that speaks more highly of them.”