Señor Rodriquez continually asked the members on his Dade VITAS home care team one question: “Can I die at home?” Such a question does not normally present much of a problem—except that Señor Rodriquez’ home happened to be in Nicaragua.

His physical condition continued to deteriorate, and the VITAS nurse estimated that Señor Rodriquez had only one week to live. The team knew that if he was to die in his home, they would have to act soon. Through a special fund to assist with extraordinary patient needs, the team was able to purchase a one-way plane ticket to Managua, Nicaragua .

The VITAS social worker took Señor Rodriquez to the airport and escorted him to the departure gate in his wheelchair. The ticket agent took one look at Señor Rodriquez and refused to allow him to board the plane, saying “He’s much too ill to fly!” Señor Rodriquez retorted that he was, indeed, going to fly. Tempers soon escalated. Ever a patient advocate, the VITAS social worker jumped into the middle of the argument and indicated that Señor Rodriguez would make the trip, even if she had to fly with him. The stalemate continued, however, and the pilot came out of the plane to see what the ruckus was about.

After hearing both sides of the argument, the pilot not only sided with the social worker but personally escorted Señor Rodriquez onto the plane and to his seat. A frail yet happy Señor Rodriquez was greeted at the Managua airport by family members who took him to his home. He died the next day, right where he wanted to be.