Members of Erika’s Hospice Team: Jeneffer Villacrucis, RN, BSN; Jennifer Cisneros, MSW; Lucy Figueroa, HHA; and Eric Trautwein, MD. Photo Credit: Emily Hart-Roberts
“They all knew her, and knew what she was like, and what she wanted,” said Woody. “She would respond by grinning because in the end that was the only way she could communicate. When they would come, they weren’t strangers.” Erika especially enjoyed visits from Carol De Trana, VNHC hospice chaplain, who often spoke to her in private. “No one was around. Just them two and as religion was very important to Erika, this was a special moment shared by both of them,” accounted Woody. This time together helped give Erika the dignity, self-reliance, independence, and privacy that she so craved. “I would get everyone out of the room and they would be private, which I thought was good girl talk for Erika.” Upon beginning hospice services, Erika’s care team was aware of her citizenship dream. Jennifer Cisneros, Erika’s social worker, recalled studying with her for the exam. They would spend visits going over the questions. “Even though her body was really failing, her mind was still sharp,” recalled Jennifer. “She was a very smart woman and she was constantly reading the Bible and had other reading material on her lap.” A few weeks later Erika traveled to Los Angeles to take the citizenship exam. “I told her ‘Good luck!’ and of course we arranged for help just in case there was an emergency or anything, for someone to care for her while she was in LA,” 10 | vnhcsb.org
Winand and Erika pose for a photo in front of the harbor in 2007.
remembered Jennifer. “The next day, I returned to visit her and the first thing I asked her was how it went, and Erika exclaimed ‘I passed!’” After passing the citizenship exam, the next step was to take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony. The family had planned to travel with Erika to Los Angeles the next week. However, that weekend, Erika experienced a seizure, forcing her to become bedridden, and making it impossible for her to complete the three-hour drive to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Her family’s hopes of making her dream a reality began to dwindle, but only for a moment, until the cooperation, determination, and affinity of the VNHC hospice team began to unfold like Old Glory herself. Over the weekend, Erika’s health continued to decline, and Erika’s immobility increased. Woody called the citizenship office in Los Angeles, but never got a clear answer on what was needed to get a judge to travel to Santa Barbara to perform the ceremony before Erika declined further. Finally, Woody spoke with a true advocate who helped him better understand the protocols and what was needed.