Melissa Doser

Lessons from 9/11 benefit Hospice Home

Nurse Practitioner Melissa Doser brings priceless lessons from her long career as a first responder and hospice provider to the patients and their loved ones at the Henry Ford Hospice Home in Jackson.

After graduating with a degree in Public Safety Administration from Eastern Michigan University, Melissa accepted an emergency management position with American Red Cross Disaster Relief. In September 2001, she deployed to Ground Zero in New York City to help determine the needs for emergency services personnel who were digging through the 9/11 rubble in search of survivors (or in recovery of those who were lost). As she got to know members of the medical team at the Incident Command Center, Melissa was inspired to become a nurse.

“One of the most powerful lessons I learned from working at Ground Zero is that different people and different cultures grieve in different ways. 9/11 taught me empathy. It taught me that it’s okay to lean on others in times of need.”

After 9/11, Melissa did hurricane and tropical storm relief work in coastal areas, as well as fire recovery and relief in and around Detroit. She also began taking classes for a second bachelor’s degree, in Nursing. She opted then to stop traveling and working full time to focus on her classes and clinicals.

Melissa became interested in hospice nursing after attending a lecture by a nurse from a hospice home in Livonia. “I was literally rivetted,” she said. “It struck me that we bring people into this world with joy, and comfort them throughout life. But we need to also help people leave this world with joy and comfort.”

For Melissa, hospice is a vocation rather than a job. “Hospice caregivers really do answer a calling,” she said. “My colleagues at Henry Ford Hospice Home – Jackson are such a compassionate group of individuals, and many have been doing this work for years. They go out of their way to care for family members as well as the patients, providing emotional support and lots of education about what to expect at end of life.”

Just as importantly, hospice care is able to provide special medications to manage symptoms that are often present at end of life. “We are able to make people more comfortable, while maintaining the level of alertness they desire,” she said.

If Melissa could change one thing, it would be for more people to realize what a great gift hospice care is for patients and their families—and to engage with it sooner.

“Caregiving is hard work for family members,” she said. “It’s a 24/7 job with no breaks and little sleep. Hospice provides the care, so families can make their last days together meaningful, even joyful.” Melissa noted that it’s not unusual to hear laughter at the Hospice Home, as families reminisce about good times they have shared. Hospice Home has hosted weddings and birthday parties, seen estranged families reunite, welcomed visits from patients’ beloved pets and celebrated in countless other ways. “We encourage families to find that joy together,” Melissa said.

Her role at Henry Ford Hospice Home – Jackson brings Melissa’s calling full circle. “Working in rescue and recovery taught me that life is precious. If I can help make the last moments of life a positive, comforting experience for my patients and their loved ones, I am doing what I was meant to do,” she said.

Learn more about Henry Ford Hospice Home-Jackson.