A BFM adopted an orphaned kitten and brought her into the Branch. The residents fell in love with her and named her Puddles. They kept asking if Puddles could come back so she started coming to Bickford every day. The plan was for Puddles to become a farm cat when she was big enough but as time passed, everyone agreed that Puddles belonged at Bickford. For Gwen, Puddles became the thing she looked forward to and would cuddle with her the majority of the day. As Gwen’s health continues to deteriorate, the one constant happiness in her life is Puddles. Some of her family live far away and they love getting photos of their mom with a big smile on her face because of Puddles.

Bob and Marcella’s 69th wedding anniversary was coming up. When we mentioned it to Marcella, she said it was just another day and Bob wouldn’t remember anyway. That’s when the Bickford of Marion team started planning. We contacted their children to tell them about our ideas and they brought in the cake topper from their wedding. We set up a private candlelit lunch in the formal dining room with flowers, wine, and music including the song from their first dance. In the dining room Bob and Marcella got to cut the cake and feed it to each other again. Marcella told her kids that night that it was a beautiful day and more than she ever could have imagined.

Michele had confided in Kylie about her recent battles with breast cancer. Kylie knew that Breast Cancer Awareness month was in October and wanted to do something special for her. She ordered outdoor lighting to turn our branch pink for the month. She also organized a breast cancer awareness day celebration party. She decorated our dining room pink, had a pink themed lunch with breast cancer cookies, and worked on a small presentation to honor Michele and the other four residents that were affected by breast cancer throughout their lives.

When preparing for a pontoon outing at Coralville Lake, Shannon asked Betty if she was interested in going. Betty is non verbal so she nodded her head ‘Yes’. After talking to Betty’s daughter, Julie, Shannon found out that Betty used to do a lot of pontooning back in the day. Julie wished her mom could go, but was unsure with her current health status. Shannon knew it would be a challenge to get her on the pontoon but believed in our motto to do whatever it takes to make our residents happy. With the help of St. Croix Hospice, Maintenance Coordinator Mike, and Betty’s family, we were able to get her on the pontoon. Betty smiled from ear to ear. Julie was very appreciative saying, “Thank you for spreading happiness and making this event possible!”

When JoAnn’s 88th birthday was approaching, LEC Shannon asked her what she wanted. She giggled and said, “I’d take a man in uniform!” After talking with RNC Katie, whose husband is on the Marion Fire Department, they arranged a time to surprise the birthday girl. Shannon bought a cake and balloons for the fire department to hand deliver and invited JoAnn’s daughter to join in on the surprise. Shannon led the group in singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and shortly after, five fully geared firemen walked through the door to wish JoAnn a happy birthday. JoAnn was speechless. The smile on her face, excitement in her voice, and tears in her daughter’s eyes was a moment that will never be forgotten!