Patient Stories

Care Dimensions Supports Artist's Last Sculpture

Daniel Browne met his future wife, Arlene, in late 1987 at Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. He was working in security and she came in as a temp to the department next door. Sparks flew. “He said ‘Hi’ and that was the beginning,” Arlene said. “I knew he was someone I could talk to.”

They married in 1991 and, in 1992, they decided to sell all their stuff, buy a van and move across country to be closer to Dan’s family in Connecticut. “When a friend recommended Salem, we thought, ‘Great, close to Connecticut and Boston is somewhat like San Francisco.’ We thought it would be temporary but here we’ve stayed for 30 years,” Arlene said.

Sharing interests in jazz and the arts, they became involved in the arts community in Salem. Dan’s artistic expression emerged through creating sculptures from recycled household items -- “objets d’art,” as he called them, cast-offs made into something artful and different.

“One night, I was bored and decided to dismantle the first VCR I ever owned. My first sculpture is 90 percent VCR parts and I call it ‘Robot.’” Dan said. “I am a dump picker and my friend owns a large recycling plant – that’s where I get my materials,” he added with a sly smile. In 40 years, he has produced more than 110 sculptures

Health concerns for both
Dan had struggled for years with health issues stemming from tobacco use since he was a teenager and things came to a head in 2016. “He was always coughing a lot but when he started to lose weight, I insisted he see his doctor," said Arlene. "Dan was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in his neck and lungs. After chemo and radiation, immunotherapy and more chemo, his neck cancer shrank but his lung cancer persisted. Dan continued chemo until his doctor advised him to stop.”

In early 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Dan qualified for an experimental drug trial at Dana-Farber, but on his way to his first appointment, he realized it was too much for him to manage. Arlene was his primary caregiver, but soon she too was diagnosed with cancer. ”I had surgery then was on chemo for six months, all while I was caring for Dan. I couldn’t leave him home alone for fear of his falling, being hurt and alone,” said Arlene.

In May 2021, Dan had difficulty breathing and was admitted to the Salem Hospital emergency room. “The doctor told us our options, palliative or hospice care, and recommended Care Dimensions. I know I was in denial; I was hoping he’d be in hospice, would mend and get healthy,” Arlene explained. Dan was in palliative care at home until June, when his symptoms worsened, and he was admitted to hospice and the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers for acute symptom management.

Hospice Team Offers Full Support
“When he was moving in and we were setting up items in his room, he immediately started talking about his sculpture projects and his work,” said social worker Julie Cluett, LCSW at the Kaplan House. “He showed such energy and attention about his work. He reflected on his end-of-life journey instead of his symptoms. Dan was such a powerful spirit.”

While at Kaplan House, Dan was intent on finishing his last sculpture, “Smoking Gun,” made from recycled metal bits and pieces, plastic ID wristbands from his multiple visits to hospitals and a model gun with a cigarette positioned in the muzzle, a metaphor to his lifelong smoking habit. He also embraced all the services offered by the hospice team and their support for him and Arlene as they came to the realization that his time was limited. “A retired nurse and volunteer, Joan, performed Reiki on Dan to help him relax and calm his body,” Arlene said. “We were visited by a chaplain and a music therapist; both eased his agitation. His whole hospice team was so supportive when we needed them the most.” Two days after he completed his sculpture, Dan died at the Kaplan House.

“After I lost Dan, Care Dimensions’ grief support services helped me get through some very dark and lonely days,” Arlene said. “The two most important things I learned are I’m grieving for Dan so I won’t forget him, and he’ll always be with me.”