Sadie Brister, Robert Gilmore, and Martha Nelson began their careers in hospice at Whispering Pines Hospice in Jackson more than 25 years ago. When Whispering Pines and hospice of Central Mississippi merged, the three continued their callings to hospice and are still on staff today. Sadie has served the longest with 27 years, Robert 25 years and Martha 21 years.

“It’s really special to work with someone, actually two people, for as many years as the three of us have worked together,” says Robert. “We’ve been a part of each other’s lives and have raised our families together and supported each other. We have fun together, and we are really friends and love each other. We celebrated when Sadie went back to school to get her nursing license, and we celebrated when she had a baby.” The friendships don’t end with just the staff; they carry over to the families with whom they interact daily. “We form a bond with our patients and families, and we become more like family. We don’t always leave them here when we go home at the end of the day. They go home with us in our hearts,” says Sadie.

With the combined years of experience in a field where patients don’t survive, it would be easy to assume that the years have taught the three of them to be numb to the experience of death. After all, it’s pretty common in the medical field and said often when referring to working with dying patients that “you get used to it.” They all claim that in hospice that’s not true. “You never get used it. We grieve and mourn with the families here just like they do,” says Sadie. Hospice is a different environment, and it’s obvious that these three have invested more than just a career with Hospice Ministries. They’ve invested in literally thousands of patients over the last 27 years.

The fundamental belief that patients should be cared for like family members is a theme that all of the staff apply daily. “It begins with the way the employees view and treat each other,” says Robert. “We work well together. It’s a place where operating as a team is critical.”

When asked what really makes HospiceMinistries a place that one would want to work for so many years, they all reply, “The leadership of this organization leads by example. Everybody here works hard, and our goal is the same – to give every patient and family a quality end-of-life experience.”

Working in the field of hospice care has been rewarding to these three employees. In addition to the experiences with the patients and families, they’ve been able to watch Hospice Ministries grow through the building of the inpatient facility, the hiring of staff, the construction of nurses stations, the addition of computers, and the development of a volunteer program that gives so many people so much joy. “We’re excited about the anniversary of Hospice Ministries and are looking forward to the next 30 years,” they all agree.

~Sadie Brister, Robert Gilmore, & Martha Nelson