Dream Foundation Provides Trip of a Lifetime to Young Man with Advanced Illness

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization released a new video today as part of the "Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice" public awareness campaign. The video features Lyle Romans, a 21 year-old with terminal lung disease and dermatomyositis. "Lyle's Hawaiian Dream" shows Lyle and his foster family on a journey from his home in Oregon to the beautiful beaches of Waikiki, Hawaii. His trip was made possible by Dream Foundation, the only national dream-granting organization for terminally-ill adults.

Lyle, who has lived with the Dobbs family since he was 18 years-old, was an active teenager. In his senior year, he was diagnosed with lung disease and since then his health has continued to decline. He has lost 80% of his lungs due to scarring and cysts. He no longer has the ability to walk or move his neck and he is losing his sight. Lyle's dream was to go to Hawaii to see and experience the natural beauty of the islands before his sight was completely gone. 

Dream Foundation stepped in to make Lyle's Dream of a Hawaiian vacation a reality. Lyle and his family visited the island of Oahu in June. 

"Lyle is an inspiration," says Dream Foundation's Chief Executive Officer, Kisa Heyer. "A terminal diagnosis at any age is heart-wrenching but at twenty-one, Lyle took it upon himself to motivate others. We are honored to have brought his final dream to life."

Over the past two decades, Dream Foundation's dreams have provided psychosocial and emotional support tailored to thousands of terminally-ill adults and their families. They are passionate about bringing life to final dreams and helping to make the most of their dreamers' final days.

In the video, Lyle can be seen enjoying the sights of Oahu including the famous Halona Blowhole and Sea Life Park Hawaii. Palliative care helped stabilize Lyle enough to be at home with his family and strong enough to enjoy this trip. 

"Palliative care is different from hospice in that it allows patients to continue to receive aggressive and curative kinds of treatments while receiving palliative care, and they do not need a physician to certify that they have a life-expectancy of six months or less," said NHPCO President and Chief Executive Officer J. Donald Schumacher. "Much of the palliative care provided in the United States is provided by hospice programs."

Lyle's video is part of the "Moments of Life" public awareness campaign launched by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in 2014. The campaign features stories from hospices and palliative care programs across the United States of patients and families experiencing hospice and palliative care first hand. The "Moments of Life" website has information available on palliative care.

Contact:
Jon Radulovic
Vice President, Communications
NHPCO
jradulovic@nhpco.org
Ph: 703-837-3139

Dani Cordaro
Public Relations
Dream Foundation
dani@dreamfoundation.org 
Ph: 805.539.2222

About National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

NHPCO is the oldest and largest nonprofit leadership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. NHPCO's mission is to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life, www.nhpco.org.

About Dream Foundation

Dream Foundation, the only national dream-granting organization for terminally-ill adults, fulfills final Dreams that provide inspiration, comfort and closure at the end of life. With the support of a nationwide network of volunteers, hospices, health care organizations and committed donors, Dream Foundation has given life to more than 25,000 final Dreams over the past two decades and has never turned down a qualified applicant. Dream Foundation does not receive any federal or state funding and relies solely on individual donations and corporate partnerships to fund its programs. The Foundation is proud to maintain Charity Navigator's four-star rating—its highest—for sound fiscal management ensuring its donors and partners that their investment will be used wisely. For more information, please visit DreamFoundation.org.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC-gQoQ7kZU
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161031/434277 
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110105/DC25260LOGO

SOURCE National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization