Making the journey possible to attend his son’s wedding

Robert "Bush" Seem wasn’t sure he’d be able to see his son, Stephen, walk down the aisle on his wedding day. With chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, Bush often found himself short of breath. Even walking short distances was difficult. As the wedding day drew nearer, Bush  wasn’t confident he could make the more than four-hour trip to Parkersburg.

He wasn’t ready to give up on the dream of attending the wedding yet. Bush intended to see his son get married and he was going to do it with the help of Hospice of the Panhandle.

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, his hospice care team focused on making sure Bush could attend. “A lot of the care we provided was giving him the support and confidence that he could do this,” said Tasha Fellers, Berkeley team leader.

For the trip, Hospice of the Panhandle supplied Bush with the oxygen and medications he would need to be as comfortable as possible. His nurse taught him techniques that would help him keep is energy level up.

So that he didn’t have to stay overnight, social services manager Sara Cohick worked with the Dream Foundation to arrange limousine transportation.

“It’s about having peace-of-mind and knowing that I don’t have to do everything myself,” Bush said.

With the help of Hospice of the Panhandle, Bush was able to see his son and his beautiful bride, Tara, exchange vows. While the day was exhausting for him, Bush returned home thankful to have been with his family for the special day.

Many times, patients recognize they can’t do everything they used to, but Hospice of the Panhandle helps them do the things they can and want to do.