Participating in Women Swimmn' is very close to my heart.  I swam the first swim 21 years ago.  I remember the feeling of accomplishment and pride when I crawled out of the lake.  My parents were on the shoreline cheering me on with open hands and hearts.  I will never forget that day.  After retirement, my father became a Hospice volunteer and did in-home respite.  I gained a totally new respect for my dad as growing up never seen him as a compassionate person.  Fast forward to 2019 when my mother passed. I was so very grateful for Hospice's services to provide for not only my mother, but also to guide and encourage me through the loss of my first parent.  It was not a year later than my father came under Hospice care, taking that journey himself that he often so guided others through.  We laughed, cried, and reflected on all that he had experienced during his time as a volunteer. My dad passed in 2020 and Hospice was there again, to pick me up and guide me through grief that I have never known.

So for the nurses, doctors, staff and volunteers that serve Hospice, I continue to swim in your honor!  I also swim with great fond memories of my parents Paul and Clara Andrews.