Rod Nordblom with his five children, the original trustees of the Nordblom Foundation (L to R): Win Nordblom, Lee Nordblom, Rod Nordblom, Anne Dodge, Carolyn Los, and Peter Nordblom.

A Decade of Compassionate Giving: The Nordblom Family Foundation

Lee Nordblom's first experience with hospice came in 2001, when her mother Mary was nearing the end of her battle with cancer. She still vividly recalls those days, when hospice nurses would visit her mother's home for care and support.

"In addition to caring for my mother, the nurses were taking care of each one of us family members. They took us under their wing and helped us understand what was happening," recalls Lee, who was one of five siblings navigating that difficult time. "Having those hospice nurses there was like an amazing gift from heaven. It really was."

Lee now co-manages the Nordblom Family Foundation, a trust first set up by her parents, Rodger and Mary, in 1999. Through the years, the foundation has provided grants to dozens of organizations and causes, focused on strengthening families through education and support programs. That has included a decade of supporting Care Dimensions.

"Hospice was a natural fit for the foundation because the upheaval at the end of someone's life is hugely impactful for families," said Greta Nordblom, the other co-managing trustee, who is married to Lee’s nephew. "That time can really divide a family or ripple out in negative ways. Or you can choose to take actions to make it a much more positive experience."

The foundation’s grant to Care Dimensions specifically supports complementary therapies, including music, massage, pet visits, and art. During a visit to the Kaplan Family Hospice House, Lee witnessed this approach firsthand.

"I was visiting a friend and saw a dog walking around inside and we're like, 'Well, that's kind of interesting,'" she remembered. "It led to a whole conversation about how hospice helps people as they are dying beyond medical care.”

Lee was especially struck by the power of music therapy, and the very personal connections that music therapists make with patients and families. Greta has also seen the immense benefits.

"The way that complementary therapies seem to address the holistic needs of each patient as well as their families can turn into a bonding experience for both the patient and their loved ones," said Greta.

The impact of hospice has extended to other family members as well. Lee's sister Carolyn has dedicated the past 15 years of her life to the cause. She currently lives in Greece, where she helped establish a palliative care center and organizes educational webinars.

"It is truly from deep gratitude from my own experience with hospice that I committed myself to work with others to develop palliative care in Greece,” Carolyn noted. “Every person deserves to have such care at the end of life, to have their symptoms relieved, their spiritual and emotional needs attended to, their dignity intact, and their family members supported.”

As Care Dimensions celebrates ten years of support from the Nordblom Family Foundation, both Lee and Greta reflected on the foundation's mission, and what has kept them going throughout the years.

"The foundation was designed to knit the family together through acts of collective generosity," explains Greta. She noted that Lee's father Rodger had a motto that guided his philanthropy: "Be bold, be good, be generous."

"Care Dimensions is such a leader in creating as dignified and honorable a transition as anywhere that I've ever seen,” continued Greta. “It's just so amazing to walk into the Kaplan House and feel the calmness and serenity, and know that you're in the hands of experts."

For Lee, the foundation's decade of hospice support traces directly back to that profound experience in 2001.

“I witnessed and received so much support at the time of my mother's death, and that has stayed with me all these years," she said. "It's important work and we’re proud to support it."

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