Lauren H.

In March 2020, we were preparing for our next respite guest arrival when the whole world shut down. For the next year, we were unable to host respite visits due to the pandemic, and our fledgling program sat in limbo like so many things during COVID.

Fast forward one year later to when we got a panicked call from a friend. They had just had a plumbing disaster in their rental and someone was scheduled to move in that week. We were happy to help out. But when we learned that it was in fact, a travel ICU COVID nurse, we were honored. It was our chance to help pay it forward to a caregiving hero. This is what she had to say about her stay in the Little Purple House. READ MORE…

We were honored to share the Little Purple House with a COVID ICU RN who stayed with us for a month while working at a nearby hospital.

Mary

Mary had hoped she and her sister Evelyn, who was battling cancer, would be able to come to the coast together. The beach was one of their favorite places, and they had never been to Wilmington. Sadly, Evelyn’s illness took a swift turn and she passed away before the two could make the trip to the Little Purple House. Mary, having been with her every step of the way, was devastated.

Lisa Lundeen, Lead Chaplain at Cone Health Cancer Center, nominated Mary shortly after Evelyn’s passing, believing that a change of scenery would “be a tremendous gift as she greives, as well as help her adjust to life without such a devoted, caregiving focus.”

Mary accepted our invitation and spent a special Valentine’s getaway at the cottage reconnecting with her loving and supportive husband. “People don’t know what it is like to go through cancer or any terminal illness and remain the same. To get away from the scenery that reminds me, and the people who want to help me but don’t know how is so refreshing. It was just wonderful. It was like breathing out again,” she said.

Gina

Gina had a devastating 2019 that included losing her mother in May and husband in July. She served as the primary caregiver for both. She was nominated by the Hospice Team who supported the family through two tragic losses.

Despite the unimaginable weight of her circumstances, Gina pushed through, devoting all of herself to her family and her community as well— and lost herself in the process. After her respite stay she shared, “Most caregivers I know labor tirelessly to make sure their loved one is comfortable and forget all about themselves. The idea of being away gives the caregiver permission to regroup, release and revive.”

Nominator visit

Taken just steps from the porch of the Little Purple House, there are some spectacular sunsets along the Cape Fear River.

Lauren Mullis Somers is a Clinical Social Worker and the Support Services Team Lead at the Doris S. Tanger Center for Patient & Family Support, part of the Cone Health Cancer Center in Greensboro, NC. When we began hosting respite guests in the summer of 2019, Lauren was one of the first people we invited to experience a visit to the cottage. Not only did we want to make sure what we were trying to create would be a good fit for her clients and potential nominees, but we were eager to get her feedback about how we could best accommodate caregivers and patients.

Julie

“It is a gift to have the opportunity to have a stay at the LPH as a donor. It is a WIN/WIN in my book!”

Julie Stewart has made a career of supporting people through difficult situations. As the Director of Child Welfare Services and a mother of two, she knows all too well that you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Julie has been a supporter of Little Purple House Respite Stays from the start. When the stress of 2020 started tipping the scales too much, she booked a donor visit with us. In July, she and her daughter took a special road trip to the beaches, summer breezes, and of course, the porch. Not only did they have a great time, they knew that their trip would help pay it forward to someone else.