A man was evicted from hospice for dying too slowly, now he’s back to making his signature blueberry pies with his wife.
Mike Salmon, then 73, was placed in hospice care in January 2026 after he suffered through aortic aneurysms, sepsis, and temporary delirium.
He had undergone three operations over the course of a few months, only to suffer a near-fatal aortic aneurysm afterward.
Doctors recommended two more risky surgeries, and he was placed in hospice care, where patients go when they’re expected to die within the next six months, his wife Kim Clark wrote for KFF Health News.
If Salmon did nothing, he would likely die within weeks.
‘I’m astonished I’ve made it this far,’ his wife recalled him saying.
Six months later, however, Mike would be evicted from the end-of-life care for dying too slowly.
It is rare to be released from hospice care, with only about six percent of patients doing so. However, those not predicted to die within a six-month period can be released from the program.
Mike Salmon is back to baking his signature lattice-topped blueberry cinnamon pies after being discharged from hospice in May after a long six months
Salmon suffered through aortic aneurysms, sepsis, and temporary delirium before he was placed in hospice, where patients are giving an estimated six months to live. The couple credit workers for helping him regain his strength enough to get some ‘bonus days’ (stock image)
Clark largely credits the excellent care they received from their second hospice company, as they had to quickly switch from their first choice after blindly choosing, she wrote.
‘The hospice nurse gave him medicine to help him sleep through the night. He soon started regaining weight and strength,’ she wrote in KFF Health News.
‘Returning home allowed Mike to get up and walk without waiting hours for an overworked nurse to unplug a bunch of monitors, and to enjoy real food.’
Salmon was able to regain his strength and weight, and his aneurysm and sepsis held off, Clark wrote.
Now, the elderly man is enjoying life again, baking his signature lattice-topped blueberry cinnamon pies, gardening, and playing bridge with his wife.
‘For now, Mike and I are enjoying these unexpected bonus days,’ his wife wrote. ‘But whenever fate catches up with him, Mike said, he’s comforted to know he’ll get good care from the hospice’s staff.’
‘They’ll try to improve the quality of what time I have left,’ Salmon said.
