03/27/2026
In 1948, Cicely Saunders was a young British nurse attending to a 40-year-old patient with an incurable cancer. As his condition deteriorated, he whispered to Cicely, “Can’t you say something to comfort me?" And that’s when she realized that those at the end of their journey needed comfort to meet their unique emotional, spiritual, and social needs. Many years later, after becoming a physician, Cicely founded the world’s first dedicated hospice facility in 1967. St. Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, East London, is still operating today and was the inspiration for the modern hospice care model. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Cicely Saunders.