A Change of Career - Homeroom to Hospice Care

Thirty-nine-year-old Fairfield resident David Marcus taught Earth and Space Science to ninth-graders in Connecticut for 9 years. It was a good career and one he could have kept for many years to come. But something was missing. Recognizing his caring nature and excellent rapport with people, his fiancé (now his wife) suggested that he would make an excellent nurse. (She is a cardiac nurse, coincidentally). David felt that he was still young enough to make a major change in his career path and started his training. He now works at Regional Hospice and Palliative Care, providing hospice services to adults, as well as to the youngest of patients at the ends of their lives, in his role as a pediatric hospice nurse. “Pediatric and Hospice, two words that aren’t supposed to go together,” David said.

Relatively few people have to think about Pediatric Hospice Care. But for those families who have a child with a life-limiting illness, it’s something they think about often. One challenge in Connecticut is that pediatric home care is scarce and there are few resources for parents. Another obstacle is that insurance companies often charge exorbitant premiums, deductibles and co-pays for these services. (Regional Hospice covers much of the unreimbursed care – through fund raisers and donations). Last, it’s often the case that one parent must stop working while their child is so ill, significantly reducing the family’s income and adding greatly to their stress.

David has been with Regional Hospice now for six months, under the mentorship of Chris Mastropietro, who began Regional Hospice’s pediatric hospice program 13 years ago, as well as the facility’s Perinatal Hospice program, where support and care is provided for babies who are diagnosed with life-limiting illness before birth, the only such program in Connecticut. Chris saw something special in David and began training him to help take over her work when she leaves the program in 2019. Already, David has been inspired by the young patients he serves. One in particular was a 14-year-old boy named Steven, whom he refers to as his idol. Suffering with brain cancer, the teen was more concerned about his family than with himself. He accepted the fact that he was going to die and decided to make a difference before he passed. Steven started a YouTube channel chronicling his life and asking for donations to help others dealing with cancer. To date, thousands of people have viewed his ‘Theweevster18’ channel.

About Regional Hospice and Palliative Care

Since 1983, Regional Hospice and Palliative Care has been providing caring, end-of-life services to our Connecticut community. We have successfully helped thousands of patients live out their remaining days in the comfort of their own home or nursing care facility with peace and dignity, while supporting their families emotionally and spiritually. Additionally, after years of careful consideration and planning, we have built Connecticut’s first and only, state-of-the-art, private suite hospice center – our Center for Comfort Care and Healing in CT. We are proud of our decades-long reputation for superior in-home hospice care and we are honored to be able to welcome you into our home as well. For more information, visit: MakingTheBestOfEveryday.org or call us at 203.702.7400