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an angel walks in

comfortinG PeoPle in their finAl dAys H
story And Photos by terence corriGAn

en years ago, susan mccurry, a registered nurse, found first aid class,” she said. “I knew from that point on I was going
her passion. she is sure now it was god’s decision for her to be a nurse. I never went off course from that.”
t to employ her nursing skills in helping terminal patients
and their families go through the difficult last days of life. The rewards of hospice work
In june of 2008 she became a hospice nurse. susan was a little uncomfortable sitting down for an interview
“I feel god put me here and in many ways I’ve always felt it with a journalist. she’s not interested in being lauded for her
was my ministry,” she said. “I didn’t pursue hospice. god led me work – her rewards come from the work itself.
here and he has kept me here. there have been many times when “It’s just what we do,” she said. “you don’t expect to be
I said “I can’t do this anymore – physically, mentally. the next recognized for it. this is just who I am and this is what I do.”
thing I know I’m tying up my shoestrings and doing it again.” “we’re here to assist patients and families with the dying
“susan said, laughing, “I guess I’ll be nursing until my day process … to make it the best it can be,” she said. “so often the
comes and they can take me to the cemetery and just dump me families are so appreciative of what we do. In the end it’s the
out of the car.” blessings I personally receive. I feel I’ve gotten so much more
In early 2008, a 3-year project susan was working on was from the relationships with the patients and families. they are
ended early, her son’s lymphoma had just gone into remission and awesome people. It’s one of the most unpleasant circumstances
her daughter was getting married in may. she was unemployed. a family ever has to deal with, very stressful situations. you find
During this time, susan began noticing a “little help wanted that there are some wonderful people out there.”
ad” in the newspaper. “hospice of the highland rim hiring,” she
recalls as the ad’s wording. “I read it, then put it down. every Her job
day the ad got bigger and bigger,” she said. the ad wasn’t actually After a decade on the front lines of hospice care, susan was
changing in size but for her, in each day’s paper it became more promoted on feb. 12. she is now a clinical director of compassus
prominent. “finally one day it was just so huge I said, ok god. hospice and palliative care. the office is in tullahoma and serves
I’ve got it. I’ll go check this job out. I got hired on the spot.” six surrounding counties: bedford, moore, franklin, grundy,
now, after a decade of service, susan’s coffee and cannon. the agency also has
seemingly boundless compassion has offices in columbia and lawrenceburg
touched the lives of hundreds of families – ‘When hospice came to serving another six counties.
thousands of people – in bedford county. my home it was like angels the preceding paragraph provides the
basic nuts and bolts information of susan’s
Growing up in Bedford County walking in the door’ work but the actual day-to-day, heart and
susan describes her life as “pretty hands-on part of the job is a deeply rooted
boring.” she was born and raised in bedford – Julia Logan-Mayes emotional experience.
county, living most of her life in wartrace. “It’s a very demanding job – physically,
her dad worked in manufacturing, her mentally and spiritually,” susan explained.
mom was a bank teller. “It’s intense, you’re not only taking care of the patient’s physical
she was in the first graduating class of cascade high school. needs but also helping the family to cope with the emotional
she had attended the bell buckle school until it burned down six acceptance. many times we are the first ones to tell them that
weeks before the end of her junior year. she and her bell buckle they have a terminal illness and we’re looking at end of life issues
classmates finished high school with the wartrace students in the now. In some cases the doctor has not made it very clear to them
old wartrace school. “they lumped us all together and called us why he’s referred us to come to the home and do an assessment.”
cascade,” she said.
susan has never lived anywhere but in bedford county. she Finding light in a dark place
went out of town to nursing school at middle tennessee state hospice service comes with a team: physicians, nurses,
university in murfreesboro. After college she worked two stints social workers, bereavement counselors, chaplain and home
(13 years and two years) at bedford county hospital, interspersed health aides. the services range from financial help to day-to-day
with two periods of employment at glen oaks health and chores to pain management and emotional and spiritual support.
rehabilitation (six and seven years). the services can include providing five day “breaks” for family
members who are caregivers.
A nurse’s motivation the goal, susan said, is to provide the best possible end of
susan traces her desire to be a nurse to a high school home life experience. “It’s very difficult sometimes but we are there to
economics class. “In my sophomore year of high school, it was a help someone make the best of their last days – the best that they
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