A final wish granted: Amador County hospice patient wanted only to touch a horse one last time
JACKSON -- Feliz Guthrie's life both starts and ends with a deep-rooted love of horses.
With health declining as she entered hospice care, the Amador County woman told her nurses at Hospice of Amador and Calaveras that she had one final wish.
She wanted to ride horseback one last time.
"Sadly, she can't ride one, but we knew we could set her up to meet one," said Missy Justice, volunteer and events coordinator for the hospice center.
Bedridden, Guthrie's wish instead became simply to touch a horse again.
Justice got to work, contacting hospice volunteer Kitten Chapman to see if she could bring one of her horses by to see Guthrie.
"Being a country girl myself and having horses, I can say her wish would be my last wish," Chapman said. "Once they become your life, you can't get it out of there. It's in your blood."
Chapman brought her horse Cody face-to-face with Guthrie. She held out her hand and softly touched his face in quiet reflection.
"It calmed her, actually," Chapman said of the encounter. "I was really honored, very much so."
It was a moment Chapman said was clearly full of racing memories for Guthrie and as sentimental as being back in the saddle.
"I think it was her past. I think she felt what she felt in the past, being able to just be near him," Chapman said.
Hospice of Amador and Calaveras has a special program to grant last wishes to hospice patients when they can.
"It brings hope," Justice said. "To just want to see a horse, we jumped on and tried to make everything possible."
This is one special moment that Justice will always remember. It heals the soul, even as the body withers.
"Truly, it was just one of the most beautiful things to see," she said. "We were happy to provide that for her and bring that closure."
Guthrie is a well-known figure for many in Amador County. She was a beloved, longtime English and Spanish teacher at Amador High School.
She shared her love of horses with her students.
Guthrie even wrote a book called "The Last Californian" about Amador County life during the gold rush that encapsulates her passion for riding and her home, one of her life's proudest works.
While her final chapter might not include a ride off into the sunset, her encounter with Cody promised comfort and greener pastures.
Guthrie remains in end-of-life care as of the publishing of this story. She was unable to participate.
