Puyallup woman finds care, compassion & friendship in MultiCare hospice
David Franklin was drawn to Denise the moment she toured the fire station where he worked.
Their first date was Oct. 31, 1982. Six months later, the Puyallup couple wed.
For 23 of the 40 years Denise and David were married, Denise had breast cancer.
“The hardest thing was Denise telling me when the kids were little that she felt a lump on her breast,” David remembers. “She went in for a lumpectomy that came back positive, and she started chemo and radiation.
“I was there at every appointment — sitting with her and making sure she was OK,” he continues.
A difficult decision
Denise fell ill with a high temperature in August 2022, and David took her to MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital. She was rushed to the intensive care unit, where she stayed for a week and came to the difficult decision to stop her treatment.
“The doctor explained, ‘Your wife has expressed that her body is worn out, and she can’t do this anymore,’” David recalls. “‘When she goes home, we could put her on hospice.’”
So began Denise’s four-month journey with MultiCare Home Health & Hospice, where services are often free thanks to MultiCare Foundations donors.
Well-rounded comfort and hospice care
Under the direction of Melissa Chubbuck, MD, the MultiCare hospice team of comfort therapists, nursing staff, social workers, home health aides, chaplains and bereavement staff address the health and well-being of the whole person, including physical, mental, spiritual and emotional needs.
Comfort therapy coordinator Lisa Gainey, LMT; hospice case manager Amber Saechao, RN; and social worker Kim Brune, MSW, headed up Denise’s comfort and hospice care.
“Everybody that came here was so nice and personable and respected our house, my feelings,” David shares. “The care, the compassion, the friendships Denise grew — every week they’d come back, and she’d get to know ’em by name, and they’d sit and talk about families. That bonding gave her something to think of, and I’m just so grateful.”
Licensed massage therapist Gainey enjoyed getting to know the Franklin family while providing lymphatic drainage massage to Denise.
“One of the things I love about my career is developing relationships with my patients and their families,” Gainey says. “Walking with families and their loved ones on their hospice journey is an honor. Denise had a gracious spirit, a giving heart, and expressed gratitude for how the massage sessions improved her physical and emotional well-being.
“David was so patient and loving in providing care for her at home,” she continues.
And it was David, along with nurse Saechao, who convinced Denise to take full advantage of the integrative comfort therapy program, which just celebrated its 20th year of continuous service.
In addition to massage therapy, hospice patients can choose from the healing benefits of aromatherapy, therapeutic music and reiki.
“Lisa came out and worked on Denise’s legs to make her feel more comfortable, which would put Denise to sleep all the time, just about,” David says. “It was so good. It gave her a relaxation moment and made it a little easier for her to get around for a day or so.”
Lighting up lives
In December 2022, Denise died at age 58. She’ll long be remembered for her deep commitment to her husband, children and grandchildren.
MultiCare Foundations invites the community to honor friends and family no longer with us, like Denise, by giving a gift to MultiCare hospice through the Light Up a Life campaign every November. Each donation is represented by a sparkling light on the Trees of Remembrance at Good Samaritan and MultiCare Tacoma General hospitals.
“Each year, I give to this campaign to recognize any family member and/or friend whose loved one has died during the year,” Gainey shares. “When you give, you’re creating a profound positive impact that’s recognized by our team, patients and their families.”
David, for one, appreciates those in his community who made hospice and comfort therapy possible for his beloved.
“I’m thankful for all the donors that were giving to and supporting this program,” he says. “Hospice was one of the best programs for my family, for my wife. It helped her out immensely by being able to do things she couldn’t do if she didn’t have it.”
