Andrellea McNeil, Mary’s hospice nurse, gives her a shower. Andrellea works for Transitions LifeCare and has been bathing Mary for eight months. Every Wednesday and Friday, Andrellea helps Mary out of bed and wheels her to the shower. In the shower, Mary sits on a chair while Andrellea washes her hair and uses a washcloth to wash her body. Going as quickly as possible, she then dries her hair with a blowdryer before bringing Mary back to bed.

“Even when I get her out of the shower, she’s still gasping for breath and I’m trying to blow dry her hair,” Andrellea said. “I’m doing it quickly because I want to get her back to her oxygen. She’s just so out of breath and the shower really wears her out.” She said she has seen Mary’s condition decline and that her showers are much faster now, out of fear that Mary will pass out.