A final goodbye: cancer patient reunites with her beloved horses
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - It’s a final wish that’s touching hearts here in Charlottesville.
Elizabeth ‘Claiborne’ Miller-Davis, a cancer patient at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, asked for one last visit with her beloved horses.
Thursday, April 10, that wish was granted in a powerful moment of compassion and care.
“Horses have just been the biggest driver of her journey, it’s really been the motivation to get out of bed,” Claiborne’s daughter Elizabeth Davis said. “It was just so important for her to see the horses.”
Thursday afternoon, Claiborne got to see her beloved horse’s Princess and Stormy one final time. They were brought right to the hospital lawn, just outside her room.
“My mom a year and a half ago found out she had pancreatic cancer, stage 4,” Davis said. “My mom is just an absolute powerhouse of a person; she is the strongest person I know and most of her life has been about horses.”
Accompanied by her family, staff carefully helped Claiborne outside, ensuring each step of the way was done with dignity, safety, and love.
“There was definitely a smile today I think it was just the world for her,” Davis said. “She loves these horses. They’re our family.”
“It was just really, really gracious of them to let the horses come and for Claiborne to see them, and touch them, and pet them again,” family friend Kristy Stojka said.
It was just a few quiet minutes, but they meant everything.
A final moment of connection between a person and the animal that carried them through life.
“We’ve had stormy for over 10 years and princess has been a last year and a half addition,” Davis said. “She knows they’re here and we really hope this is part of her journey and helping everything be peaceful and happy and just experiencing all the love she can.”
Claiborne was a nurse her whole life and was actually Nurse of the Year in 2024, despite her diagnosis.
Her family says this opportunity with Sentara meant the world to them.
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