"For me, the day she moved in was daunting—it felt like the final step toward the end. It was also a relief: she would be someplace safe and supportive. The hospice staff immediately surpassed our expectations; after her first night, she told me she was being treated 'like a queen.'

On her second day, the staff wheeled her bed into the courtyard so we could have lunch in the sun. The courtyard soon became her favourite part of the hospice. Every day, I took her there in her wheelchair. She loved sitting beside the waterfalls with her coffee and was happiest in the fresh air."