Home hospice for dying husband cost over $65,000, wife reports
A woman named Shannon has reported that it cost more than $65,000 to bring her husband Craig home to die from bladder cancer in their Brooklyn apartment. The couple had to raise the money from friends and family through a GoFundMe campaign. According to Shannon, private nursing service cost between $5,000 and $7,000 per week for five to seven hours of registered nurse care daily, while home hospice covered only one nurse visit per week. Craig was laid off without warning in late 2023, three days before starting chemotherapy, and he declined to continue his life insurance policy. Shannon said she could not be paid as a caregiver under New York’s consumer-directed care program because she was a spouse. Craig died at home after being discharged from NYU Langone hospital, where the floor doctor required hospice and private nursing in place before signing off on discharge.
What’s reported
Craig had bladder cancer and was 49 years old; Shannon was 37.
The home hospice care cost over $65,000, raised from friends and family.
Private nursing service cost $5,000 to $7,000 per week for five to seven hours per day.
Home hospice covered one nurse visit per week.
Craig was laid off without warning in late 2023, three days before starting chemotherapy.
As a spouse in New York, Shannon could not be paid for caregiving through Medicaid under the consumer-directed care program.
Craig recorded a goodbye video in the ICU and posted it on Instagram and Facebook.
The floor doctor would only discharge Craig if hospice and private nursing were in place.
Open questions
The exact total amount raised and spent beyond the stated $65,000 figure is not specified.
Key figures
Shannon (wife, author of the account)
Craig (husband, patient)
Sara (friend who drove Craig to radiation appointments)
NYU palliative team
Floor doctor at NYU Langone hospital
Sources: The Guardian
