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Peacocks & Thorns: Humour & Beauty in the Darkest Times
Once upon a time there was a group of people who wanted to help keep patients suffering from a terminal illness out of pain. They had no money but they had big hearts. They were also passionate and committed and decided to take their plan to the community. They discovered that providing palliative care to people was important to all the residents of Windsor and Essex County in Ontario.
Everyone started helping to raise the money. Now, forty years later, their Hospice is one of the most respected in Canada. They get part of their funding from the government, but a large amount is still raised by the caring, compassionate people who wanted a place where patients could live life with joy to the end of that life.
Once upon a time there was a palliative care physician whose work caring for patients and families at Hospice brought him immense joy...and sometimes sadness. He treated them at Hospice and cared for them in their homes, always bringing the Hospice philosophy that caring for the whole patient is necessary to alleviate pain and suffering. He was deeply moved by his experiences with the people in his care, so much so he wanted to write a book to celebrate some of those wonderful people and provide a teaching tool for others working in Hospice care.
This is a story that inspires, one that shows the incredible feats that can be achieved when an entire community takes ownership of a place like the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County and Erie Shores Hospice Campus. It’s personal.
Everyone started helping to raise the money. Now, forty years later, their Hospice is one of the most respected in Canada. They get part of their funding from the government, but a large amount is still raised by the caring, compassionate people who wanted a place where patients could live life with joy to the end of that life.
Once upon a time there was a palliative care physician whose work caring for patients and families at Hospice brought him immense joy...and sometimes sadness. He treated them at Hospice and cared for them in their homes, always bringing the Hospice philosophy that caring for the whole patient is necessary to alleviate pain and suffering. He was deeply moved by his experiences with the people in his care, so much so he wanted to write a book to celebrate some of those wonderful people and provide a teaching tool for others working in Hospice care.
This is a story that inspires, one that shows the incredible feats that can be achieved when an entire community takes ownership of a place like the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County and Erie Shores Hospice Campus. It’s personal.
212 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 24, 2023
Written jointly by Veronique Perrier Mandal and Jim Gall, Peacocks and Thorns is a wonderful book that recounts both the history and the innate spirit / experience of hospice care. Although largely based on their work in Windsor and Essex County in Ontario, so much of the book – particularly Dr. Gall’s section – could easily be extrapolated to hospice care anywhere.
Ms. Mandal’s opening section contains a well-written and interesting history of hospice care in general and more specifically of its development in Windsor and Essex County. Researched and detailed to include the story of palliative care dating back to the fourth century CE, it is a fascinating account. The specific history of the hospice movement in Windsor and Essex would be of great interest to local patients, healthcare professionals, and lay people alike.
Dr. Gall’s contribution could stand as a beautiful book of its own. Composed of short stories based on his experiences, it recalls his years as a palliative care physician with the same compassion and sensitivity that, I’m sure, he brought to the care of his patients. Courage, irony, and even humour spill from the pages. His words evoke the nearness of a gentle spirit. They are a joy to read and a bounty for the soul.
~Larry Kramer M.D., author of An Imperfect Healer, and Where the Road Ends
Ms. Mandal’s opening section contains a well-written and interesting history of hospice care in general and more specifically of its development in Windsor and Essex County. Researched and detailed to include the story of palliative care dating back to the fourth century CE, it is a fascinating account. The specific history of the hospice movement in Windsor and Essex would be of great interest to local patients, healthcare professionals, and lay people alike.
Dr. Gall’s contribution could stand as a beautiful book of its own. Composed of short stories based on his experiences, it recalls his years as a palliative care physician with the same compassion and sensitivity that, I’m sure, he brought to the care of his patients. Courage, irony, and even humour spill from the pages. His words evoke the nearness of a gentle spirit. They are a joy to read and a bounty for the soul.
~Larry Kramer M.D., author of An Imperfect Healer, and Where the Road Ends
September 7, 2023
Canada's first community-based hospice - why & how
This valuable book tells the inspiring story of how the people of Windsor and Essex County in Ontario recognized the need to provide more effective care to patients nearing the end of their lives and created the first community-based model of hospice care in Canada. High inflation and high unemployment meant that government funding was not available but a passionate and determined group of people - professionals and a large number of volunteers and donors - joined together to make it happen and now, 40 years later, their Hospice is one of the most respected in Canada.
The first half of the book by Veronique Perrier Mandal details the practical steps taken to develop an organizational structure, leadership, office space, supplies and fundraising activities. But more important is the way in which the care and concern of the people for those needing hospice care guided their efforts. Although focused on the approach used in the Windsor area, it is a helpful guide for any community wanting to figure out how to work together to raise money, find the other necessary resources & keep it going year after year. It is a goldmine of information and encouragement.
The second half of the book by Dr. Jim Gall contains a powerful and personal collection of brief narratives of home visits to his patients. They illustrate why compassionate and loving connections with his patients was so valued by patients and why his involvement with hospice became the most meaningful work of his career. His descriptions of the patients & their families and their home settings also demonstrates how important such knowledge is for providing health care. Each story is beautifully written, and worth reading slowly and thoughtfully. Dr Gall used popular song lyrics creatively to capture important ideas in many stories. At a time when so many physicians are feeling burdened, it is reassuring to hear how hospice care can be an antidote to burnout.
~W Wayne Weston MD, coauthor of Patient-Centered Medicine: Transforming the Clinical Method
This valuable book tells the inspiring story of how the people of Windsor and Essex County in Ontario recognized the need to provide more effective care to patients nearing the end of their lives and created the first community-based model of hospice care in Canada. High inflation and high unemployment meant that government funding was not available but a passionate and determined group of people - professionals and a large number of volunteers and donors - joined together to make it happen and now, 40 years later, their Hospice is one of the most respected in Canada.
The first half of the book by Veronique Perrier Mandal details the practical steps taken to develop an organizational structure, leadership, office space, supplies and fundraising activities. But more important is the way in which the care and concern of the people for those needing hospice care guided their efforts. Although focused on the approach used in the Windsor area, it is a helpful guide for any community wanting to figure out how to work together to raise money, find the other necessary resources & keep it going year after year. It is a goldmine of information and encouragement.
The second half of the book by Dr. Jim Gall contains a powerful and personal collection of brief narratives of home visits to his patients. They illustrate why compassionate and loving connections with his patients was so valued by patients and why his involvement with hospice became the most meaningful work of his career. His descriptions of the patients & their families and their home settings also demonstrates how important such knowledge is for providing health care. Each story is beautifully written, and worth reading slowly and thoughtfully. Dr Gall used popular song lyrics creatively to capture important ideas in many stories. At a time when so many physicians are feeling burdened, it is reassuring to hear how hospice care can be an antidote to burnout.
~W Wayne Weston MD, coauthor of Patient-Centered Medicine: Transforming the Clinical Method
August 14, 2023
"Peacocks & Thorns", by Dr. Jim Gall and Veronique Perrier Mendal is reminiscent of a very special cook book . In this book they are describing the recipe for success of the Windsor/Essex County Hospice and its early inception in 1979. Their recipe includes eagerness, enthusiasm, excitement & dedication in very large amounts. They have captured the frantic pace at which things progressed. To this recipe they added the dedication of the volunteers and later the staff as a brick and mortar structure became a reality. Their recipe never forgot the reason for Hospice and the bittersweet seasoning of the stories about the patients adds a very special flavour. As a volunteer and Windsor/Essex County resident I have had a personal experience with Hospice. One of the many things I will always remember is the dedication and the feeling of the caregivers that it was a "privelege"to help.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews