Family had hospice care for infant son: Emily and Michael Thiel with son, Henryk, and daughter, Lilly
If you’ve never attended Riverwood’s annual fundraiser event called Holes fore Hospice, this is the year to do it. The event is being held Sun., July 14, at Ruttger’s Bay Lake Resort near Deerwood.
Golfers are invited to participate in an 18-hole scramble tournament on a beautiful competitive course, which starts at 11:00 a.m. New this year is a barbeque with live musical entertainment and a social hour starting at 3:30 p.m. at Zig’s Outdoor Pavilion.
A band called Gawker Slowdown features Rick Bandy (bass and vocals), Clark Hamdorf (guitar, harmonica and vocals) and Shawn Hamdorf (drums and vocals). They have played together in one form or another since 1991. The band’s music will take you on a journey from the acoustic/electric folk-rock of original songs to familiar favorites by Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Johnny Cash and others.The barbeque dinner, featuring a pig roast, will be served at 5:30 p.m., followed by a program that will feature a personal story about hospice care.
Emily and Michael Thiel of Minneapolis never expected the life of their baby boy to be so short. They will tell the story of how hospice care helped them cope with a terminal prognosis for their son, Henryk, just after he was born last year.
“We are passionate about hospice because our son Henryk was born almost a year ago with significant brain damage,” says Emily Thiel. “Henryk was given a very poor prognosis when he was two weeks old, which lead us to put him on hospice care. We had hospice nurses come to our house regularly from that point on to help us care for Henryk. They guided us through many appointments as well as surgeries and hospital visits. Most importantly they helped us keep our baby boy comfortable until he passed away in January. These nurses entered our homes with their skill and our hearts with their love.”
Katie Nelson, Riverwood Foundation manager, adds: “Hospice care makes such a huge difference for families like the Thiel’s who are facing the loss of a loved one. Our event is a great way to support this cause and to ensure that hospice care will be available locally for those who need it.”
The cost for dinner only is $50 and $125 for golf and dinner. For more information or to register for the event, call or text Kim Jones, event planner, at 218-380-3636 or email kjones@riverwoodhealthcare.org
