This was the most unusual request I have ever had and I’m so glad I said yes. A man in his 40’s contacted me saying his wife’s cancer had taken a turn for the worse and she was now being put on hospice. She was in a hospital about 30 miles from me. Their insurance would no longer cover them in the hospital if she was on hospice but if she had a home the nurses, equipment, etc. would all be covered. He tried other rental options but they all wanted first, last and a lease. Then his son in law mentioned Airbnb and that’s how he found me. This was his first booking so I called Airbnb because it all sounded a little crazy. They assured me he was who he said he was. He booked for a whole month even though he thought it might only be week.
The medical equipment arrived on a Friday but the family didn’t get here until Monday evening. I gave them a lot of space and they were very self sufficient. During this time we had the power turned off by PGE for 4 days and they managed to get a generator on their own to keep things going. Gradually family members left until it was just the man and his wife with hospice nurses coming every day. On about their 8th day here I could tell the husband had grown weary and was not sure how much longer he could hold out.
He was losing the love of his life. I had gone down to visit the wife a couple times and she was nothing short of an angel. She was so happy to be out of the hospital environment and in a home surrounded by nature with deer visiting daily.
That night I was on my way to check in on them and stopped to stare up at the Milky Way. It was brighter than usual and seemed to go on into infinity. Just then he came outside and confirmed she had died. He was sobbing, shaking from the cold and the shock.
We hugged tightly under the Milky Way, the Highway to Heaven, for a long time.
I will never forget this family of angels and am grateful for this unique opportunity. I opened my home to them. They opened their hearts to me.
[Title updated]
nikola clay