Butterfly Release for Heart of Hospice

PATTERSON – Andrea Potier works with Heart of Hospice in Franklin. But that wasn’t her first experience with hospice care.

That came when her grandfather, Homer Dugas of Loreauville – a decorated veteran of World War II, Potier said proudly – was terminally ill and underwent hospice care. The care allowed him to die where he wanted.

“He died in his home that he had crafted by hand,” Potier said Saturday, “with his wife of over 60 years. It was a beautiful experience.”

Potier and a few dozen participants turned out Saturday at Kemper Williams for Heart of Hospice’s Butterfly Release. Setting fragile butterflies free turns out to be a potent symbol for hospice.

The butterflies represent the need to let go of sorrow and symbolize the beauty of remembering rather than just mourning. They’re also a reminder that life is about change.

“For someone who has passed, it’s a transition,” said Nicole Delahoussaye, a Heart of Hospice social worker from New Iberia. “The butterfly is a symbol of all the goodness in a relationship, the positiveness.”

Hospice staff members read the names of loved ones who have died since last year. Each name was accompanied by a single ringing tone from a triangle.

Potier said her grandfather’s experience taught her that hospice care goes beyond doctors and medicine to social workers and nurses who tend to the whole family.

“What I witnessed at the time,” Potier said, “was an end of life process where my grandmother held his hand and stroked his hair and told him how much she loved him and how he was her best friend, and she was so thankful for the beautiful life he had given her. …

“It was life-changing.”

--Bill Decker
bdecker@daily-review.com