EFFINGHAM – Randy Seaton passed away nearly a year ago, but this past January, his family was able to take the helicopter flight he always wanted to take.
HSHS Hospice Southern Illinois officials say Seaton loved his hometown of Herrick, and he had always wanted to fly a helicopter over the old farm where he was raised. It had been on his “bucket list” for a long time.
Seaton was diagnosed with lung cancer and admitted to Hospice. He passed away on March 10, 2016, but before he died, he told the staff at HSHS Hospice his wish to fly over Herrick. The staff decided they still wanted to grant Seaton’s wish for his family.
That’s where the Everlasting Memories program comes in.
The program helps Hospice patients or their family members who have a last wish for their love one but do not have the financial means to achieve it. HSHS Hospice Marketing Specialist, Ashley Dillingham says it helps create a fond memory for a patient’s family members to remember their loved one after they have passed on.
“When we admit new patients to our hospice program, we ask them what is on their ‘bucket’ list to see if there is something that we can do to help fulfill it,” Dillingham explains.
The program is funded through contributions received through the HSHS St. Anthony’s Foundation.
After Seaton passed, HSHS Hospice contacted Dominique Youakim, a managing member of Aerinova, Inc., a full service Fixed Based Operation (FBO) located at the Coles County Memorial Airport in Mattoon. The company works to make aviation dreams a reality. Youakim then donated a flight free of charge to the Seaton family.
On January 28, 2017, four members of the Seaton family: his wife Julie Seaton, daughters Meagan Ruot and Kristen King, and his sister, Dana Kunkel; took the flight Randy Seaton always wanted to take. The family brought along a picture of him for the ride.
Ruot says they placed Seaton’s photo in the front seat as she knew he would have been front and center had he gotten to take the ride.
“I have no doubt in my mind that Dad was with us on that flight, grinning ear to ear,” she adds.
In addition to the flight, the Everlasting Memories program sponsored a catered luncheon after the flight for approximately 60 family members at the Pana Christian Church and held a balloon launch afterward.
Ruot says she and her family are forever grateful for everything HSHS Hospice and Youakim did for them, even after Seaton was no longer with them.
“The last thing on Dad’s bucket list became the number one thing on ours,” Ruot says.
The HSHS St. Anthony’s Foundation helps fund the Everlasting Memories Program, through past events such as Glow-INGA and the Butterfly Ball. If anyone would like to make a donation to support the Hospice Everlasting Memories Program, they can contact Michael Wall, Director of Philanthropy, at Ext. 1854, or email Michael.Wall@hshs.org.
