In the words of singer/songwriter Chuck Brodsky, “We are each other’s angels, we meet when it is time. We keep each other going, we show each other signs.” Susan James was one of those beautiful earthly angels; a candle bearer who showed me what I couldn’t see. She gently put her hand upon my heart as I walked with my soulmate Kitty through the amazing time passages, guiding me along the life stream from confusion to clarity, as I gently loved her to death. And beyond.
Neil Scott, Producer/Host | RECOVERY – Coast to Coast | iHeartMedia Seattle
Let me sing the praises of Susan James, my longtime colleague at hospice. Susan carries a perfect blend of competence, compassion, energy, and good humor into her work and relations with others. Her calm equaminity has carried her charges and team members through many a trying time – her smile, even under adversity, comes at crucial moments. She has taught me to never underestimate a timely good laugh, an act of minor kindness, a good word, or a positive spin on a not-so-positive occurence. We need Susan more than she knows.
Wayne C McCormick MD MPH Palliative & Long Term Care Services | Harborview Medical Center University of Washington School of Medicine
She was a beautiful young woman, married with three teenage children. And, she was about to die from one of the most challenging diagnoses hospice clinicians see: lung cancer. Her family had disintegrated as they struggled to know how they would live in the future without their mother. There was no solid ground for the five of them. And that is Susan James’ best place. More than any other hospice co-worker I know she held the center. She stopped the room from spinning. She listened, in a soulful way. Her gifts spring from a joy that bubbles deep inside her, a confidence that the world will turn out okay, and an ability to listen deeply into the hearts of those she serves.
