A hand to hold and a memory to keep

Patient care is more than a clinical responsibility – it’s a calling defined by compassion, teamwork and our commitment to caring. 

That commitment was recently demonstrated at WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital, where two team members went above and beyond to support a family preparing to say goodbye to a loved one.

As Barry Long’s condition declined, Chaplain Carol Price had been walking alongside the family throughout the hospital stay, witnessing their daily vigils and deep devotion. 

When comfort care began, Carol offered the family an “Embrace Hope” quilt and blessing – a simple gesture to bring them peace and comfort. The family then expressed a wish for a way to preserve the patient’s fingerprints as a keepsake.

Although Carol wasn’t familiar with the process of creating a hand mold, she saw an opportunity to help the family create a meaningful memory. She approached the family to see if they would be interested in having a mold of Bonnie’s hand holding Barry’s hand. Carol reached out to Callie Kleinman, a nurse in the orthopedic unit, who had experience making hand sculptures. 

Callie gathered supplies and worked alongside fellow unit nurses to create the mold. The result was a detailed hand sculpture that captured every line and feature — including a small imperfection on the patient’s index fingernail. That unique detail brought the patient’s wife to tears.

“It meant so much to my family and me — not just this sculpture, but the care Barry received from every doctor, nurse and respiratory therapist during his 29 days in the hospital,” Bonnie Long shared. “Everyone treated him and us with such care and compassion. The sculpture now sits on the mantle above our fireplace. It’s a constant reminder of how much he meant to all of us. It truly means the world.”

Reflecting on the experience, Callie shared, “What an honor it was to be able to be a part of such a beautiful moment with this family during an incredibly hard time. From the moment I entered the room, their love and devotion were evident. When the patient’s spouse embraced me with such gratitude, I knew in that moment, I was exactly where I needed to be.”

Callie said hand molds are more than keepsakes – they are symbols of connection that carry comfort long after a loved one is gone. She recalled her first experience making a mold for another patient and spouse, calling it a “special moment for all of us, and a beautiful keepsake for his wife.” 

Carol and Callie went beyond medical care to meet a family with compassion, work together, and create a meaningful memory during one of life’s most difficult moments.

Acts like these, Callie said, reaffirm the purpose and heart behind her work.