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Life is Good 22 images Created 5 Apr 2010

A documentary project following a bed-ridden man who placed in a Idaho non-profit hospice program and cared for by his girlfriend and a team of providers.
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  • April 1, 2007 -- Nancy crafted a nurses hat out of some paper to "look more professional" when she took care of Dick's medical needs in their 38-foot-long fifth-wheel trailer in Post Falls. "I know she loves me, because who else would do this day in and day out," Dick said. "She's a strong woman."
    Part 1 01_6-27_jp.tif
  • April 11, 2007 --  Joni Connelly, a nurse with Hospice of North Idaho, tried to bring laughter into Dick and Nancy's world whenever she could. "I try to be whatever a family needs me to be. I don't joke around with every family. But for Dick and Nancy, that's how they are so I try to relate to them on that level to make them more comfortable."
    Part 1 02_6-27_jp.tif
  • April 15, 2007 -- Dick spent the last years before he got sick supervising power line tower construction in Alaska and providing damage assessments while working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Being bedridden for nine months took its toll on Dick, but he still retained control of his life -- and his death.
    Part 1 03_6-27_jp.tif
  • May 25, 2007 -- Joni and Dick share a laugh during one of her visits to check on the various tubes and pain management pumps running into his body.
    Part 1 04_6-27_jp.tif
  • May 24 -- Nancy collapses across Dick following a "rough night" and an even tougher morning when it was believed he was nearing his last days. Despite bleeding through his gastric tube, Dick would live three more weeks to complete his "to-do" list -- which included flying Nancy's daughter in for a visit and marrying Nancy.
    Part 2 03_6-28_jp.tif
  • April 30 -- Dick Warner stays stoic as his then-girlfriend, Nancy Williams, lets Joni Connelly checks the "central line" that flows morphine into his body. There were very few procedures that were out of Nancy's reach which didn't allow without her direct participation.
    Part 2 01_6-28_jp.tif
  • May 5 -- Dick reads over a pamphlet detailing the responsibilities of marriage and medical precautions before signing paperwork for a marriage license. Hospice of North Idaho arranged for Kootenai County clerks to do an in-home visit in order to finalize the forms.
    Part 2 04_6-28_jp.tif
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  • June 8 -- While Nancy and Dick clasp hands, Patty Bullick, a former Hospice of North Idaho social worker, performs a bedside wedding ceremony while holding their rings.
    Part 2 05_6-28_jp.tif
  • June 8 -- Minutes after Dick and Nancy said their "I do's," the couple clinks glasses. "The bubbles in this vinegar tastes funny," Dick joked as he took a sip of the champagne.
    Part 2 02_6-28_jp.tif
  • May 24 -- Following a tumultuous day, Nancy trims Dick's beard. "He likes to have his baths in the morning so it feels like a new day," Nancy said. "He missed that with all that went on."
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  • June 13 -- Within three days of his wedding, Dick was sedated to ease his pain and tremors as well as the emotional strain on Nancy.
    Part 3 02_6-29_jp.tif
  • June 13 -- After the hospice staff left for the day, Nancy tried to bathe Dick in order to stick with a routine. Despite her best efforts, she had to stop because it was too painful for Dick.
    Part 3 03_6-29_jp.tif
  • June 15 -- Joni leans in to support Nancy as the two watch Dick finally resting after he received 2,000 milligrams of morphine over a four-hour period. "I've never had to push that much morphine into a person ... But I knew that making Dick as comfortable as possible was the most important thing to Nancy."
    Part 3 04_6-29_jp.tif
  • June 13 -- After checking on Dick circulation, Joni talks to her unresponsive patient and makes sure he is comfortable.
    Part 3 05_6-29_jp.tif
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  • JEROME A. POLLOS/Press..June 12, 2007 -- Joni Connelly, a nurse with Hospice of North Idaho, and Nancy Warner holds the hands of her husband, Dick Warner, as he falls asleep following an increased dosage of morophine to ease his pain.
    Part 3 07_6-29_jp.tif
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