Don Carlos was the 68-year-old Hispanic patriarch of a loving family when he was diagnosed with scarring of the lungs. He was referred to hospice, but he did not realize that meant he was dying.

He only knew that "there was nothing more that could be done," and typical of many Hispanic patients and their families, he did not question the doctor.

A nurse visited Don Carlos to enroll him in hospice. But she did not speak Spanish and Don Carlos did not speak English, so she left. Soon, a Mexican American doctor came to the home. He spoke to Don Carlos and his family openly and allowed them to cry on his shoulder. He explained that hospice provides palliative or comfort care when a cure is no longer possible.

Now, understanding his situation and feeling comfortable with the doctor, he requested his final wishes: to die on his native soil.