A very sweet 70-year-old gentleman was admitted and he was blessed to have Teya Adams care for him that evening, and several shifts while he was on 4 East.

This gentleman was recently diagnosed with stage IV adenocarcinoma of the pancreas with gastric invasion. The cancer was determined to be very aggressive, and he was not a candidate for treatment. His plan was to enroll in hospice.

He presented to our emergency department with complaints of weakness, fatigue, abdominal pain, and nausea only a couple of days after receiving this diagnosis and being discharged from U of Iowa.  
His initial diagnostic tests for us showed the mass had grown already and metastasized, along with new acute anemia requiring transfusion.  

Although there was a niece listed as an emergency contact, the patient requested that she not be contacted and that he didn’t have any family member or friend for us to contact.

Teya developed a good relationship with him and learned what mattered most to this gentleman. What mattered most to him was wanting to send letters to six people, but he was not strong enough to write the letters. Even though Teya was busy with all of her patients on that Tuesday evening, she made the time to sit down with him, listen, and scribe the letters for him. Through her tears, she was able to help him with this final communication with the people most important to him. Then, she addressed and mailed the letters. A few days later, while still on 4 East, he passed away comfortably in his sleep. Teya’s attention to what was most important to him – allowed him to be comfortable and peaceful as he passed.