(Left to Right) Karishma Ram, Inder Gandham, Megan Leary, Jennifer McDonough
What Palliative Care Really Means
In a quiet room at Surrey Memorial Hospital, a patient is preparing for the final chapter of his life.
He has chosen medical assistance in dying. In an hour and a half, he will be gone.
But in this moment, he is smiling.
“He’s taking control back in a terrible set of circumstances,” says Megan Leary, Patient Care Coordinator on the palliative care unit. “We’re there to support him and to meet him wherever he is.”
For Megan and the team around her, this is the heart of palliative care. End-of-life care doesn’t begin to capture the humanity that’s required of the job. Nurses in the unit exhibit a special type of care that honours each person’s story, values, and wishes, no matter where they are in their journey.
“Palliative care is an umbrella term, it doesn’t tell us where someone is.”
“Palliative care is an umbrella term,” she explains. “It doesn’t tell us where someone is. They might be at home, in hospital, or in hospice. They might have months, or days. Our job is simple: to meet them where they are at in their journey.”
Inside One of Fraser Health’s Specialized Palliative Care Units
The palliative care unit at Surrey Memorial is a specialized, regional unit in Fraser Health. Patients come from across the region often facing complex symptoms that require immediate, expert care.
Inside the unit, the team cares for ten patients at a time. They range in age from 18 to over 100. Many are living with advanced cancer. Others face end-stage heart, lung, or chronic illness.
“It’s a privilege and an honour, to be there for someone during such a difficult time.”
“It’s not easy,” Megan says. “You connect with people. Some are young. Some have incredibly hard stories. But it’s also a privilege and an honour, to be there for someone during such a difficult time.”
A Multicultural Approach to Compassionate Care
While symptom management is critical, the team also supports the emotional, psychological, and cultural needs of each patient and their family.
Surrey is one of the most diverse cities in Canada and that diversity is reflected in both the patients and the team caring for them.
“Talking about death can be very different across cultures…”
“Talking about death can be very different across cultures,” Megan says. “For some, it’s open. For others, it’s more private, even taboo. We meet people where they’re at. This not just medically, but culturally and emotionally too.”
The team itself is deeply multicultural, bringing a wide range of languages, perspectives, and lived experiences into the room. That connection matters especially in the context of passing on, where words are sometimes hard to find.
The Emotional Reality of Working in Palliative Care
For Megan, who has worked in palliative care since 2017 after starting her nursing career in vascular and home health, the unit represents the best of what health care can be.
“This is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done,” she says. “Even in unfortunate circumstances, you can help people find comfort. You can create space for meaningful time with family. You can make sure they feel seen and supported.”
It’s also work that no one carries alone.
“Being part of this team means having a safe place to share our vulnerabilities and our strengths.”
Jennifer Mcdonough, palliative complex care nurse
While the unit is relatively small for a regional program with fewer than 20 nurses working alongside physicians and allied health professionals, they are tightly connected. They debrief together. They support one another. They find ways to keep showing up.
“We don’t carry it by ourselves,” Megan says. “That’s what makes it sustainable.”
The Nurses Who Wear Their Hearts on Their Sleeves
Still, the team works within real constraints.
Currently many patient rooms are shared. There is limited space for families to gather, to grieve, to have difficult conversations in private.
“In these moments, people deserve dignity,” Megan says. “They deserve space to be with their loved ones, to have those conversations without worrying about who else is in the room.”
And yet, despite those limitations, the nurses like Megan continue doing what they do best. Showing up with compassion and wearing their hearts on their sleeves.
Because at its core, palliative care is about something universal.
“People deserve the best care possible when they get to the end of their journey.”
“Death is the one thing that connects all of us,” Megan says. “And people deserve the best care possible when they get to the end of their journey.
As Leave a Legacy Month reminds us, every act of generosity has the power to shape the future of care. Legacy gifts help ensure teams like the palliative care unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital can continue providing compassionate, dignified support to patients and families during life’s most difficult moments. By including Surrey Hospitals Foundation in your will, you can help create spaces that offer greater comfort, privacy, and peace.
We’re here for you, help us be there for generations to come.
