In a matter of six months, Frances Overbay went from growing irises, working part time and donating food to becoming bed-bound and dying in her room at a Spokane Valley nursing home.

“Every day, my world gets smaller and smaller,” Overbay said to her friend Maureen Smith as she came to realize she would never go home.

Overbay was 84 when Smith took her to the hospital in March 2024 for surgery to remove a benign tumor from her abdomen. Doctors were confident in her recovery, but things took a turn for the worse when she was transferred to Spokane Valley Health and Rehabilitation of Cascadia.

Physical therapy was an important part of Overbay’s recovery, but after a few visits, it was taken away. Each time the physical therapists visited Overbay, it was when she was waiting for food or me

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