Be Someone's Rainbow.

“Why are you crying?” Jaime asked as she sat at the edge of her mother’s bed. “I can eat all on my own,” Jolene replied, happy to regain a small bit of independence.

Jolene was a frail 65 pounds when she returned to her family home in Waialua from Utah. This was the home where she and Lester had raised their three kids, Leslene, Jaime and Rion. Now it was their turn to care for her.

Lung cancer had struck Jolene hard, spreading to ten different spots in her body. The cancer had also hit her spine, paralyzing her from the waist down. But Jolene, the adventurer, photographer, roller-skating mom with the joyful laugh, was a fighter.

“When you see family, you see hope,” said Lester. And so her family – her dream team – rallied around her. Jaime cooked, Rion handled the errands, Leslene served as the primary caregiver and Lester provided all-around support. They had never been caregivers before so they relied on their Navian Hawaii care team for guidance. “They were always so positive and sincere in their care,” said Leslene, “they were my mom’s confidence boost.”

Navian Hawaii had supported Jolene from the very beginning, arranging for the medical jet to fly her back to Hawaii and delivering all the medications and equipment that she needed. When Jolene’s family had questions about how best to care for her, the nurses would train them. And throughout the process, Navian Hawaii’s hospice care team valued and protected her and her family’s wishes.

Through the love of her family and the support of Navian Hawaii, Jolene lived as fully as possible for three and half months in the place she called home. During that precious time she connected with her family on a deeper level, she watched her grandkids play and grow, and she enjoyed eating her favorite Filipino foods. Said Leslene, “we even took her to eat shave ice, stop at the beach, and visit mama and papa. That was a good day.”

“The positivity kept her alive,” said Jaime, “she was like mom again.” “Jolene was the kind of person if you were down, she would perk you up,” added Lester. “She was always the rainbow in someone’s day. She was our rainbow.”