I wish to express a sincere “thank you” to Councillor Albert Hogland for questioning the disbandment of the Kimberley Hospice Society and the closure of the Palliative room at the Kimberley Special Care Home (Pines.) You give me hope as you obviously have the best interest of Kimberley’s citizens foremost in your heart and mind. I am thankful that Mayor Jim Ogilive is supporting the motion to send letters stating the City’s point of view.

I worked at the Kimberley Special Care Home as a Careaide for 24 years and to me the most important part of the million dollar renovations to the “Pines” was adding a Palliative room with separate kitchen and sitting area for the families whose loved ones were terminally ill and dying. The Kimberley Hospice Society did a beautiful job of furnishing these two rooms through generous donations from the good people in Kimberley and the money to build these rooms came from the taxpayers. Everyone should be asking “WHY.” Why did this disbandment come about? I don’t want to get into the politics of the matter but would just like to ask one question and that is why, before renovations commenced that someone in Victoria decided Kimberley had too many “beds” at the KSCH according to the population of Kimberley as this has proved to be untrue as there obviously still is a shortage. Why else would the palliative bed be needed for respite?

I am also thankful for Lori Joe’s letter to the editor and her concerns to try and find new accomodations for a “free-standing” Palliative Care facility as this is a much needed service in all communities. Everyone should have the right to die with dignity with family and loved ones near by or if they have no family to have kind and caring volunteers sit with them so they are not alone. My dear dad, Harley Dovell, passed away in 2007 after suffering a stroke which left him in a palliative condition for almost two weeks. He spent these last two weeks in Cranbrook Hospital and again, because of shortage of beds, he was moved 4 times in his last 6 days of his life. This is heart wrenching to say the least as dad had lived in Kimberley since 1948, a Cominco employee and all his family and friends were here. I am thankful I never had an accident travelling daily between Kimberley and Cranbrook to the Hospital as the emotional strain takes it’s toll leaving you feeling very tired, numb and somewhat dysfunctional.

I too would like to express my sincere “thanks” to Pat White and would like to tell her what a wonderful job she did co-ordinating the Kimberley Hospice Society and to all the volunteers, you truly are angels, who generously donated your time in sitting with the terminally ill. Sometimes in life when one door closes another opens and this is what I feel will happen as there are great people in Kimberley who will come forward once again to meet a very important need in this community. I retired in 2009 and would gladly come out of retirement and volunteer my services for such a great cause. I felt it was an honor and a blessing to have been able to give quality end of life care in this palliative room at the “Pines” and to have been able to show support for families and loved ones as this can be very trying for families and one of the greatest trials we will ever have to go through.

Dianne LaFreniere, Kimberley