Crocheted hearts, EKG 
tracings and hand-
crafted sympathy 
cards are just a few 
of the ways nursing 
staff help families 
of patients with an 
end-of-life plan in the 
Wesley Long Hospital 
ICU unit.
Amanda Watson, BSN, RN, a nurse in the ICU Step Down 
Unit at Wesley Long Hospital, wanted a way to help patients 
nearing the end of life and their families navigate grief. 
“My nursing trajectory was influenced by the grief I 
experienced as a young adult,” says Watson. “Ten years of my 
nearly twenty-year nursing career were spent in hospice care, 
seeking to heal my own heart through helping others. These 
experiences are never far from my thoughts when patients are 
nearing the end of life. I started asking myself how we make 
this time better when science has nothing more to offer.”
Watson learned about The 3 Wishes Project, a specialized, 
compassionate end-of-life care plan shown to enhance 
traditional models. The project allows clinicians, patients 
and families to explore what life and its loss means for them. 
Simple craft projects or changes in the environment can 
enhance comfort and make the transition more personal 
and less clinical. 
Watson’s unit has successfully implemented The 3 Wishes 
Project by providing keepsakes for families: patients’ 
fingerprints in keychains, framed ECG tracings, crocheted 
hearts, locks of hair and recorded heartbeats. Patients can 
have pet visits, special music and decorate the hospital room 
with personal effects to create a more comfortable space. 
The response from patients and families has been extremely 
positive. “My hope is for The 3 Wishes Project to go system-
wide. Each unit can creatively individualize the framework 
for their patients’ needs,” says Watson. “This doesn’t require 
special training, excessive cost or nursing degrees. In the 
words of The Beatles, all you need is love.” 
Turning Personal Sorrow Into a Gift of Compassion
The 3 Wishes Project
OUR COMPASSION IN ACTION
15
NURSING IMPACT REPORT 2025

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.