The score was 2:1 Seattle Kraken, but for one Florida Panthers fan, it was a big win!
June 2025- Alan Reddish loves sports. Every time his nurse Natalie Villabrera-Williams, RN, visits, the 53-year-old has a game on the television. His room at Lenox on the Lake is decorated in sports memorabilia, and he takes his Panthers ice hockey very seriously.
Natalie has been with VITAS in Broward County, Florida, for nearly 18 years and has been Alan’s primary care nurse since he was admitted in 2022, diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“I love what I do,” says Natalie. “My patients are like family. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them.”
Natalie and Alan have formed a special bond over the years, so when Natalie noticed that Alan was looking a little ragged, having let his beard grow unruly, she did not hesitate to ask, “Why won’t you let Ingrid (hospice aide) shave your beard?”
Alan’s response was simple. “The Panthers are in the playoffs. It’s bad luck to shave my beard when the Panthers are in the playoffs.”
Wish Maker Program
When Natalie and Social Worker Elizabeth Clifford saw the posters for the VITAS Wish Maker program, they turned to each other and said simultaneously, “Alan would be perfect for this.”
VITAS Wish Maker is a program that fulfills special requests for hospice patients to live out one of their dreams. In Broward County, the committee consists of team managers, social workers, a music therapist, and a volunteer manager who meet regularly, review the wishes, and send a request to the general manager for approval.
Then everyone helps to make the magic happen.
During their team meeting, Natalie and Elizabeth made the request known. The committee wasted no time reaching out to make this wish come true for Alan’s care team.
“It’s a testament to how far VITAS will go to make their patients and families happy,” says Natalie.
A Team Effort
Broward County General Managers Jaime Collazo and Donna Borland, along with the rest of the Wish Maker Committee, orchestrated the event, securing tickets for the game, reaching out to representatives from the Florida Panthers, and organizing a pep rally send-off at Alan’s assisted living facility.
It’s a testament to how far VITAS will go to make their patients and families happy.-Natalie Villabrera-Williams, VITAS RN
“This is an amazing opportunity for us to make a final wish come true to help a patient ‘live until you die,’” says Donna in the words of Cicely Saunders, the founder of the modern hospice movement. “Not only are we, as leaders, excited and grateful for the opportunity, but to see the joy on the faces of the patient, facility staff, and VITAS team makes the experience even more meaningful.”
The Wish Maker program is made possible purely through generous donations. Future Tech, an IT solutions provider, donated two skybox tickets for Alan and Natalie to attend the playoff game on Saturday, February 22. This is the second time that Future Tech donated box seats to a VITAS Wish Maker recipient.
“It’s a great opportunity to support a patient with a final wish,” says Joe Venero, director of corporate strategy at Future Tech.
National Health Transportation (NHT) donated transportation to escort Alan to and from the arena.
Says Jaime, “It is because of our amazing partners that our patients can transition out of this life with memories that will carry them to the next.”
