Partners Hospice releases butterflies

For Carolyn Fandel, the butterfly she released yesterday from a small piece of paper was a symbol of her father's soul.

"I thought this was a really lovely sort of idea. The thought of a caterpillar going through a metamorphosis, then changing into a butterfly," the Waltham resident said. "Maybe when you die you become something else."

Fandel was one of roughly 80 attendees at yesterday's live butterfly release ceremony sponsored by Waltham-based Partners Hospice, an organization that provides end-of-life care to individuals with terminal illnesses.

Fandel worked for the organization for 21 years. She eventually signed her father Richard "Jack" Gardiner up for hospice care when he was suffering from prostate cancer.

"When it was his time to be taken care of, I wanted him to have hospice," she said. "'I obviously wanted him to get the care he needed, the compassion he needed and the services he needed and he got all of that at Partners."

Gardiner, who lived in Newton, died in August. He was 83.

Families yesterday gathered under the lavish setting of the Lyman Estate, where they snacked on fresh fruit and crackers and roamed the grounds while a single violin could be heard playing in the background.

After a short commemoration, in which the names of 99 people were read off a list, family members were given butterflies and fanned out across the estate to find a special place to release them.

This is the second year Partners Hospice has held the event.

"It's an opportunity to celebrate the lives of loved ones by releasing a butterfly which is a symbol of hope and the human spirit," said Keturah Sawyer, director of special events for Partners Hospice. "The event is open to anyone in our communities, but I think the majority of people here today are friends and family members of Partners Hospice patients."

The butterflies, which cost $30 each, were purchased from Butterflies and Blueberries Inc., a butterfly nursery in Rutland. All proceeds will be used toward bereavement services for patients.

Mary Bures, director of public affairs for Partners Hospice, said the idea came about a year ago when members of her organization were researching ways to offer their clients a way to deal with death and the final stages of life.

"We hope this opportunity plays an important part in both the grieving process as well as offering attendees a chance to memorialize loved ones. Our mission is to help people make choices about care," she said. "This event is another way of getting our message out, recognizing the end of life as a very important part of life."

Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com.