Polar Pig Splash raises money for hospice care

Watching a loved one die is not easy for anyone, one Jamestown woman said, but with care and help, it’s easier.

After her husband’s death nine years ago and the death of her mother in 2009, Stella Wheeler is recommending hospice care to others. Hospice care meant her husband could die at home — one of his final wishes, she said.

And helping hospice help others is the goal of the Polar Pig Splash, an annual event in which participants jump into January water to raise money for Jamestown Hospital’s hospice. Polar Pig Splash is set for Saturday at Stutsman Harley-Davidson.

The funds raised at the event support the day-to-day operations of the hospice program, said Jan Barnes, Jamestown Hospital Foundation director. Jamestown Hospital’s hospice program serves terminally ill patients with a diagnosis of six or fewer months to live. Hospice serves about 55 people a year, Barnes said, and their care is typically given in their home or nursing home.

“This big splash has become our largest sponsor for hospice,” Barnes said.

Most insurance companies cover only part of the expense of hospice, but the hospital doesn’t expect families to pay the remainder of the bill.

Last year, Polar Pig raised about $10,000. Those funds make up for the difference.

But plunging into near-freezing water isn’t the only way to raise a buck: event attendants can eat or buy things too.

Motorcycle group District 8 ABATE is sponsoring its chili feed again — for $5, participants can sample more than two dozen types of chili. All the samples make a full meal, said Don Wegner, Polar Pig organizer.

“You get fed pretty good for $5,” he said.

And, Polar Pig planned a silent auction again this year. Last year, participants could bid on gifts, hair care products, oil changes and more.

For Wheeler, the help and care she received from hospice was practically priceless. She said she benefitted from it more than her husband and mother did. Months and years after their deaths, Wheeler said the second and third years after the death of a loved one are typically more difficult than the first. By then, the reality that they aren’t coming back sets in, she said.

So hospice cares for family members up to 13 months after a patient’s death, Barnes said. Wheeler said the program plants a tree every year in memory of its patients. Relatives can bury their family member’s name in the hole with the tree.

“It really helps you when people remember those people that you loved and cared about,” she said.

To participate in Polar Pig, stop by the chili feed at 10:30 a.m., the Walk the Plank event at noon and the silent auction throughout the day. All events will be at Stutsman Harley-Davidson.

For more information on the fundraiser, contact Wegner at 320-7866. For more information on hospice, contact Jamestown Hospital at 252-1050.

Sun reporter Katie Ryan-Anderson can be reached at 701-952-8454 or by e-mail at kryan-anderson@jamestownsun.com

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