When it comes to being there for a loved one in hospital, time doesn’t just pass — it compresses.

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Decisions are made quickly. Emotions run high. Families hold hands tighter. And in the final hours of a loved one’s life, grief begins to set in, as the reality of living life without that person becomes clear.

That’s where three ICU nurses in Colorado decided to step in.

At AdventHealth Littleton, registered nurses Carmel Benavides, Lauren Gano and Grace Pippin created a programme called “Three Wishes” — an initiative designed to give families meaningful keepsakes in the final moments of a loved one’s life.

“A lot of times, family members aren’t able to think of anything that would be helpful at the end of life, because they’re so overwhelmed losing a loved one,” said registered nurse Lauren.

The idea is simple in structure but profound in impact.

Families are invited to choose three personalised wishes to remember their loved one. That might include fingerprints or matching cloth hearts made from the patient’s clothing. But one keepsake in particular has resonated deeply.

Small glass vials tied with ribbon, containing a printed strip of the patient’s last healthy heartbeat taken from their EKG.

They call it a “heartbeat in a bottle”.

For Sierra Ray, that tiny vial meant everything. Her grandmother, Norma Marie Matlock — lovingly known as “Nanny” — passed away in the ICU at 94 years old.

Remembering her grandmother, Ray told Denver7 News: “She was one of the strongest women that I ever knew, but she came and presented herself just like a teacup. She was like my best friend. She helped raise me… even my kids, as young as they are… they said, there’s never going to be another Nanny.”

Ray affectionately described her grandmother as “a good old Texas girl,” adding: “I like to call her my whiskey in a teacup.”

Norma’s daughter-in-law, Olga Matlock — herself a registered nurse at AdventHealth — described the bond just as warmly.

“She was such a warm person,” Matlock said. “Having pictures and items is one thing, something about the heartbeat that just makes it warm.”

When the family was offered the chance to choose their wishes, they selected a vial containing Nanny’s final healthy heart rhythm.

“It was the smallest thing, but it was the biggest thing,” Ray said. “This is just a way that we didn’t have to leave the hospital without our Nanny, so it was very special.” Ray still carries the vial with her. “She watches over me every single day,” she said.

The Three Wishes programme first launched in July 2024 in the hospital’s neuro trauma ICU before expanding hospital-wide in March 2025. Rolling carts stocked with supplies — from fingerprint kits to craft materials — allow nurses to fulfil requests directly at the bedside.

“We say three wishes, but we don’t limit it,” Benavides explained. “If they want four or five, it’s fine.”

And this wonderful initiative didn’t start in Colorado.

It originated at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario, before spreading to the United States through the ICU at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in 2017. UCLA Health’s Dr. Thanh Neville, a clinician and researcher, co-founded the programme and serves as its current medical director. A start-up guide now helps hospitals replicate the model nationwide.

At AdventHealth Littleton, Benavides estimates that between 80 and 90 families have been supported through the programme so far. For many, it softens an otherwise unbearable moment.

“Obviously, losing a family member… there’s nothing that can immediately nip that pain,” Ray said. “But this definitely took the edge off. We had a piece of her still with us.”

While the programme provides comfort to grieving families, it also offers something powerful for the nurses themselves.

“It’s very difficult, because people come to the ICU because their loved one is very sick, and unfortunately, some people don’t make it,” Benavides said. “This project has helped me manage those feelings and still feel like I’m able to help and connect with these families.”

In a setting often defined by urgency and heartbreak, Three Wishes introduces intention and humanity.

It ensures that even in loss, there is something tangible to hold.

Next year, the team plans to present the programme’s impact at a national nurses conference in San Diego — sharing how a simple concept has transformed end-of-life care for families and staff alike.

Because sometimes, comfort amidst grief isn’t loud or grand. Sometimes, it fits inside a small glass vial.

Featured image credit: WorldManual/YouTube/Denver7 (screenshot)