Cayman HospiceCare - Meet our Staff

	Virginia Hobday, MB. BS, MRCGP, DFFP, N. Phil Medical Director Although born in Zambia, Ginny grew up in Ethiopia and then spent some years in Libya and then New York. She was educated at St. Leonard’s School in Scotland, St Bartholomew’s Medical College in London & Cambridge University where she studied History of Medicine and Philosophy of Science. After completing her post graduate training at several London teaching hospitals she traveled overseas working in South Africa, France and Iraq. She moved to Cayman in 1998 and worked in the district clinics of the public health department for 3 years. She has been in private practice as a family doctor at Cayman clinic since 2001. She is involved with the teaching of students at St. Matthews medical school and her 8 rescue dogs from the humane society are regularly visited by the veterinary college students seeking to improve their examination skills! . She has been on the board of directors of HospiceCare since 2001 and has just formally become medical director. She and her husband Richard, who is a fellow African from Zimbabwe and has been the MRCU pilot since 1989, have two little boys, John-Ross and Harrison.

	Wilma Falconer, RN, BsN, OND Director of Nursing & Operations Wilma was born in “Bonnie Scotland” and has lived and worked in Norway, England, Switzerland and Canada, before coming to Cayman. She was educated in the UK and Canada. She first specialized in Oncology, and has been working in Palliative Care for more than 30 years. She has nursed in the home setting, on palliative care units, and spent 7 years doing education and research projects to improve quality of life for people with advanced cancer at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Wilma has done voluntary work in Israel, India and St. Lucia. Wilma remains passionate about palliative care and improving the quality of life for people with advanced disease. Most recently, she was the Nursing Director for a new hospice that she helped open in Quebec, Canada. Wilma is bilingual in English and French and adores plants and gardening. She is an Aromatherapist and was the owner of a bonsai and orchid shop in Montreal. She is the mother of 3 children, 2 of whom are working in Cayman.

	Jennifer Grant-McCarthy Fundraising Manager Born and educated in Canada, Jennifer moved to the Cayman Islands in 1997, and started working part time for Cayman HospiceCare in 2003. It was not long before it became clear that fundraising for HospiceCare is a full time job. Jennifer’s background in Journalism and PR was excellent preparation for the work. “I am very blessed to have a job that I love and one that lets me help change the way this community looks at life, and at death; in short, to be a part of shaping my children’s future social climate.” Her young sons, Noah & Eli, and husband Kirk, share her with HospiceCare.

	Heather Huizinga, RN Palliative Nurse Specialist Heather was born in Ireland and started nursing at age eighteen. She has worked as a Palliative Care Nurse for the past sixteen years. A mother of three and the wife of a surgeon, she has spent almost half of her life living in Muslim communities around the world. She trained in Palliative Care at the renowned Marie Curie Hospice based in England before coming to Cayman HospiceCare in 2003. “I love Hospice life. Every family is different and special, and every death is special. We are there not to try to solve things but to help.” Heather recently received the honour of being named “Nurse of the Year” in the Cayman Net News Year in Review, 2006. Heather also takes every opportunity to seek out and befriend stray animals and she and her family are extremely active with the Humane Society.

	Felicia Burton-Mclean, RN, CLT Palliative Nurse Specialist Felicia was born in New York and raised by her mother, Beulah McField, in the Cayman Islands. She trained as a LPN at the government hospital in Cayman in 1995, and later received her degree in Nursing at Barry University in Miami. Felicia started working with Cayman HospiceCare at the end of 2005 and manages her time between her patients, her family, and her church. She is Vice President of the Cayman Islands Nursing Association and is a member of The Nursing and Midwifery Counci. She says, “I love caring for the terminally ill here in Cayman, it is incredibly rewarding.”

	Kathleen Cushman Hospice Nurse Kathleen moved to Cayman with her husband Doug in 2002 with a plan to retire from nursing. Two years later Hurricane Ivan recruited her back. When Kath came out of retirement she worked as a Government Public Health Nurse in Cayman schools and Community Clinics. Nurse Kath was an active volunteer with Cayman HospiceCare from her arrival on the island and joined the staff in 2008. Kath is known for her famous carrot cake and as a Bridge enthusiast always looking for the slam.

	Angela Moulton Hospice Caregiver Angela has been working with Cayman HospiceCare since the charity’s early days in 1999. She did nurse training in her native Jamaica, and says “it is important to serve the people who need our care with diligence and humility, regardless of nationality, religion or beliefs. It is my aim to help a person along life’s way, that way I know my life is not in vain.”

	Gloria Reid Hospice Caregiver Gloria was born in the Parish of St. James, Jamaica. She started working with Cayman HospiceCare in 1999, and is very involved with her church. She describes herself as being “a people person, through and through.” Gloria is also a world class soup maker!