Trudy Brady, LVN
Hospice nurse Trudy Brady: Part of a family tradition of service
Fall 2023
Mission Hospice nurse Trudy Brady, LVN, is a part of her family’s culture of service. She was born and raised in San Francisco, where her father and brother were both firemen.
Her grandma taught Trudy and her five siblings about giving back. “We didn’t have much,” says Trudy, “but our house was the one everyone came to if they needed dinner or had no place to go.” Even as a little girl, Trudy knew she wanted to be a nurse or a nun. “Service is my whole being,” she says.
Trudy followed her passion and became a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) at age 22. Over the last four decades, she’s done just about every job a nurse can do. She’s worked in a half dozen medical specialties, staffed and run clinics, managed medical offices, and run a program that provides healthcare to homeless people in San Francisco.
This program – something she calls “one of my favorite, hardest, and most rewarding jobs” – led her to volunteer at Gift of Love Shelter, a 13-bed facility in Pacifica for unhoused men at the end of life without family or resources.
Hospice care resonated with Trudy because of all the loss she has experienced. Her mother died when Trudy was 21. All five of her siblings have also passed. And after a family gathering on Easter Sunday about 14 years ago, her sister-in-law – an oncology nurse and also Trudy’s best friend – died suddenly, leaving two children. Trudy and her husband have helped their brother-in-law raise their niece and nephew in their five-person “modern family.”
Trudy says these experiences meant that she always knew that she wanted to do hospice care at the end of her career. Long before that – some 30 years ago – she volunteered for Mission Hospice, coming in on the weekends to organize the supply closet. So when she was ready to move on from corporate healthcare, she knew where she wanted to go. “I saw a posting for a nurse, applied at lunch, came in the next day, and was offered the position in the middle of my interview.”
Mission Hospice clinical manager Sue Kensill, RN, says, “Trudy’s experience is a real asset to the team because she understands how things work and why – and can teach others.”
Trudy started as a triage nurse, something Sue says is a complicated job she learned quickly, understanding how the teams work best together. “She learns things deeply and understands the processes and why we do things,” says Sue. “That translates to great education of our patients and team members.”
Now, Trudy visits patients in their homes anywhere from San Francisco and the Coastside down to Palo Alto and Portola Valley. She continues to train new triage nurses.
A lifelong learner, Trudy has become a Certified Hospice and Palliative Licensed Nurse (CHPLN) and has just started training as an end-of-life doula – something she expects will enhance her ability to be with patients and give her tools to be an even better nurse.
Trudy wishes everyone were more aware of the extent of support available to a family with a loved one on hospice care. “I want every patient and family member to know that if they’re having a hard time, they can just pick up the phone and call or text us.”
“Death is just another normal step, a transition. I want to make that easier not only for the people who are passing but also for the ones they are leaving behind.”
“I’ve never felt in a more perfect place than I do when I’m with a patient,” Trudy says. “A lot of that is because I understand where they are coming from, both as a patient and as a caregiver or family member.” The best part of her job, she says, is just sitting with patients and hearing their stories, their thoughts, their expectations.
“There are times when I connect and it’s something I really can’t describe. But I know that I made a difference that day. I love my job. I’ve done a lot of different jobs, but this is exactly where I’m meant to be.”