Hospice Heroes: David White

Hospice & Palliative Care would like to introduce you to a few of the special people we had the privilege to serve in the past year. Our compassionate end-of-life care was taken into their homes from Afton to Earlville and several towns in between. These patients are young and old; some are still with us, others have passed away; some have cancer, others do not. However, the one thing they have in common is that their lives, and the lives of those who love them, were made easier when they welcomed Hospice into their family.
Our Annual “Friends of Hospice” Campaign is the one time in the year that we ask for financial help from those of you who wish to support our mission, and want to help fill the gap between insurance reimbursement and the actual cost of patient care. Without these dollars, we would not be able to provide the wide variety of services that we do. If you would like to donate to this campaign you can call our office at 334-3556 and charge your gift or send a check to Friends of Hospice, 21 Hayes Street, Norwich 13815.
Each week we will share a short story of one of the five patients who wished to share their hospice journey with the public. While they took very different paths in life, their humanity and the right to die a comfortable and dignified death intertwines their biographies. We’re certain that your hearts will be softened by each of them, as were all of ours.

David White is a 54-year-old hospice patient with a twinkle in his eye and a sly grin on his face. He has multiple sclerosis that was diagnosed years after he broke his back. Initially paralyzed, and told he might never walk again, David defied the odds and returned to work at Procter & Gamble, completing 30 years before retiring on disability in 2001. By then he was diagnosed with MS and suffered from severe pain in his legs. Chronic infections often landed him in the hospital and eventually a nursing home where his life took a turn for the better. That’s where he met one of the housekeepers named Cindy. David insists that Cindy was God sent. At one of his lowest points, living alone and in constant pain, with nothing but trouble to look forward to, he cried out to his maker, “God, I can’t live like this anymore, you have to find me a wife. Someone to care about me.”
Precious little time passed before David was sent to an Oneonta nursing home for rehab where he met his soul mate. Cindy and David had eyes for each other immediately. While Cindy frequently checked up on David to be sure that he was comfortable, he quietly observed her interaction with other patients. He says he was secretly testing her sensitivity and character, and she passed with flying colors. Within six weeks they say they “proposed to each other” and married on November 5, 2004.
This past year has been a rough one for the couple. David has been in and out of the hospital at least ten times with infections that sometimes traveled to his blood stream. “I was as weak and sick as I’ve ever been, and when I finally returned home I said I’m never going back in, and I meant it.” In April David’s Doctor called hospice for help, and now he says, “I feel better than I have in a long, long time.” He’s pain free, has a good appetite, and is enjoying life again with “my good wife by my side.” The pair admits they sometimes act like a couple of kids, clowning around with each other, and their hospice licensed practical nurse, Shelly. On weekends they have friends and neighbors over for barbecues. For now life is good. “I’m not going to worry about the end,” declares David. “God didn’t say life would be easy. I’m just taking it as it comes with the help of hospice.”

(Footnote: David’s health has improved greatly, to the point where he was able to discharged from Hospice. We will welcome his with open arms again when and if he needs us.)

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