Byline: By MEREDITH GOAD Staff Writer
When Graham Morissette came home from the hospital to die, his mother also
became his nurse. She crushed his pills, ran to the drugstore and took care of
the other time-consuming tasks necessary to keep him comfortable.
But those chores added to the overwhelming emotional burden of watching her
son say goodbye.
Memo: with sidebar serious illness
Caption: PHOTO: b&w
Staff photo by John Patriquin
Leslie Morissette and her dog Finely at her home in Springvale. Morissette
bought the dog for her son shortly before the 8-year-old died of leukemia two
years ago. Caring for her dying child inspired her to support pediatric
hospice efforts in Maine.
Byline: Meredith Goad
When he was fighting cancer, 8-year-old Graham Morissette loved to e-mail his
friends, surf the Internet and play games on his computer. His mother, Leslie,
used it to find medical information and research cancer research trials.
Graham died in 1997. Now, in his memory, Leslie Morissette has started a
program to provide free computers and Internet access to children battling
serious illnesses.
