Niagara Health, August 15, 2024, VOL. 5 ISSUE 25

In the bustling Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines, there exists a program that transcends medical treatment, offering solace and dignity to patients facing their final days.

Co-founded by Dr. Deborah Cook and Dr. Robert Sheppard at St. Joseph’s in Hamilton, the Three Wishes Project (3WP) is a program that focuses on providing acts of compassion to personalize end-of-life experiences for critically ill patients and their families in the ICU.

This will be the inaugural 3WP fundraiser to help re-launch this initiative at Niagara Health.

“It transforms that very dark moment into something that has some light,” says Dr. Thiago Appoloni Moreira, ICU physician and lead of the Three Wishes Project for Niagara Health. “It can be difficult to do, but if we’re able to do it, it is beautiful and rewarding.”

The project is designed to offer some peace and comfort in the final days of a critically ill patient’s life and provide support to their grieving families. Dr. Appoloni Moreira says the importance of the project, which can be found in hospitals worldwide, cannot be overstated both for the patients and for the staff who get to help patients realize their wishes.

Care teams collaborate with the patients’ families to grant wishes.

“The effort between family and the healthcare team trying to make these special moments happen actually has a magical effect on the patients,” says Dr. Appoloni Moreira.

Whether it is spending time with a cherished pet, enjoying a blissful spa day or savouring one last meaningful pizza with loved ones, the program contributes to a compassionate and dignified end-of-life journey.

The impact of Three Wishes extends far beyond the ICU, touching the lives of families and staff alike.

“All of the families I’ve ever spoken to have been extremely grateful and very thankful for any support they’ve received. It makes you feel like you’ve done something meaningful, even though you could not save the patient’s life,” says Kim Marcov, charge nurse and bedside nurse, who has embraced and witnessed the transformative power of Three Wishes firsthand.

Marcov fondly remembers a wish where a family served a special type of Eastern European cake important in their culture and invited her to enjoy it with them.

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The care teams grant as many wishes as possible. Even if the wishes seem small, they mean the world to the patient.

“I remember driving out to McDonald’s because all this patient wanted was their favourite chocolate sundae. As long as we can provide anything like that, we do our best. No questions asked,” Marcov says.

Comfort for families and loved ones

Another aspect of the project is providing families with mementos for comfort beyond their time in the hospital. Popular mementos include finger and handprints, along with electrocardiogram (ECG) strips, which some have designed into a tattoo.

Community members and staff also crochet special blankets for patients to use instead of hospital linens, which families often take home as a reminder of their loved ones.

Looking ahead, the program aims to extend beyond the Marotta Family Hospital ICU to other Niagara Health sites.

“It is not a project that is led by a physician or nurses, it is everybody who works in the unit, plus the Niagara Health Knowledge Institute, volunteers and community members, spiritual care and Indigenous Health Services,” says Dr. Appoloni Moreira.

Seeking community support

The Marotta Family Hospital’s Critical Care Team has been working with the Niagara Health Foundation to hold the inaugural Three Wishes Project fundraiser from Aug. 26 to Oct. 20. Community members are invited to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win exciting prizes. In order to bring more wishes to life, the Team is seeking the support of the community. Here are ways to help:

•Businesses that would like to donate in-kind and provide prizes for the raffle, please contactKian Rego at kian.rego@niagarahealth.on.ca

•To make a monetary donation, please visit: https://ofnhs.akaraisin.com/ui/threewishesproject

Donations will flow through the Niagara Health Foundation. Additionally, any donation over $20.00, either monetary or in-kind, is eligible for a tax receipt issued by the Foundation.

Thank you for considering a donation to the 3 Wishes Project.