Good Morning, Tree

Martha's Vineyard 1

A few images from a two day trip to see my high school journalism teacher and his wife at Martha's Vineyard.

Cliff Craft, 1954-2007

Miss you buddy.

Kentucky Derby

Todd Pletcher, a well known horse trainer, stands in a paddock stall after the 133rd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Pletcher failed to win the Derby after entering 5 horses.

Kentucky Oaks

I made this photo after the Oaks race. It was raining and I wanted to find a woman with her Derby hat covered with a trashbag. I got lucky with a pink dress, hat, and trash bag. I appreciate that because it brings color in to a monochromatic scene.

Introduction to Final Family

Final Family is a story about the impact on Appalachian Hospice on the lives of the Chesser Family. Lloyd Chesser, 83, has been on hospice for nearly a year. Hospice nurses, aides and social workers spend countless hours with Lloyd each week. Along with Lloyd's relatives, the hospice workers are his final family.

The following is an excerpt from the print story and a selection of images from the time I spent with the Chessers at their home in New Marshfield.

Final Family

Lloyd Chesser takes his time to eat breakfast. Hands wobbling, Chesser slowly lifts the first bite of pancake to his mouth. As he eats, three women watch over his shoulder.

Chesser, 83, is a hospice patient. His mealtime audience is a nurse, an aid and his wife, Charlotte. Chesser suffers from prostate cancer, a hernia, arthritis, emphysema and heart problems. Charlotte Chesser says she doesn’t want any more medical diagnosis for her husband.

“Guess we just don’t want to know” she said. “Let him live as much as he can.”

Chesser, who lives in New Marshfield, is one of many people in the care of hospice workers. Aids, nurses and social workers are a part of a team from the Appalachian Community Visiting Nurses Association Hospice and Health Services. (ACVNA)

Chesser has been in hospice care since May 2006. Tammy McGuire, nurse with Appalachian Visiting Nurses, suggested that hospice workers care for him.

“She (McGuire) says he’d be better cause you could take him out and go with him on hospice,” Charlotte recalled. “Which we couldn’t do with him when he was on Appalachian nursing.”

Chesser appreciates what the hospice workers do in his home.

“They’re doing a fine job taking care of me,” Lloyd said. “I was a little bit leery about them to start with, but they just stepped in and took over.”

Charlotte, who is 15 years younger than her husband, deals with health problems of her own.
“My legs and eyes have been bad,” Charlotte said. “With them coming in and keeping the front room and the kitchen and his bedroom clean, it has helped a lot.”

Millena Miller, director of development and marketing with ACVNA, says the hospice program has a longer stay than the home health program.

“With home health you have a specific time that you’re there,” Miller said. “When that patient has reached a certain plateue in rehab then we’re not in there anymore. With a hospice patient we’re in their to the end and beyond”

Final Family, Part Two