Soloviev
Dear Dr. Klie and Kevin,
We want to thank you immensely for being there for us and for Soloviev today in his last moments. I had always wanted to write to thank you 10 years ago when you came to euthanize our cat Calliope but never quite got around to it. I was amazed once again at the importance and the value of the work you do. You manage to be both supportive and a calming presence but at the same time so non-intrusive that at times it felt as though we were just there with our sweet baby alone.
About 5 years ago I switched careers and have become a healthcare professional, working in the NICU and in outpatient pediatrics. This has taught me both the joys of healthcare work but also the trauma and sadness when a patient dies and there is nothing you can do for them. So I am now even more in awe of the incredible gift you have, and the gift that you give to your patients and their families. Rewarding but challenging, important but draining, meaningful but painful. Please know how incredibly wonderful what you do is, and how much of a difference you have made in our lives, twice now, in the last moments of Soli’s and Calliope’s.
We are so grateful to have been at home when he died, grateful to be able to hold him, grateful that it was as peaceful and calm as could be. We are grateful we did not have to drive home afterwards, we could just crawl into bed and cry and grieve. We are grateful for your gentle, professional, compassionate presence. We are grateful for the words you spoke as he died about being a blessing to us and our family being a blessing to him. On the days or the moments when your work is draining you or the hard parts are getting the better of you, please think of us and how much you matter to us and to Soli, how much better all of our lives are because of you.
With Love and Gratitude,
Jennifer Edwards, MS OTR/L and Ross Edwards, PhD
