Monday, October 03, 2005
Mr. Alexander
Mr. Roy Alexander, is an eighty year old man, born Sept 1926 (guess that makes him 79). He told me he was going to live to be 500 yrs old. Kim Skaggs and I met him last Monday night, Sept 26th. He was laying on his couch. Not much of a couch though. There were no cushons, springs poking through what little material that was left. He had a small piece of plywood over the springs so he could keep his legs elevated. It appeared that both of his feet and ankles were swollen.
Kim and I spoke with him briefly, took him a box of food, and made sure had plenty of drinking water. Kim had asked him how he was doing and if he needed anything. He insisted that he had all he needed and wanted us to keep what we had to give to others who were in more need than he was. He told us about his heart surgery that he had about 2 years ago. Showed us his scars, and told us he had stents inserted along with a defibulator.
He mentioned that he had stayed right there on the couch all during Katrina and Rita. Kim asked how high the water had come into his house. He said it was about a foot high in his home and he road the storm out right there on the couch. It was the worst he had ever seen. He told us how the water came up through the floor boards and the whole time wondered how it was coming in. He looked out his window and saw a river rolling through his front yard. The entire time more and more trash and debris flowed past.
This man touched me in a way that no one ever had. I finally made it back to his house on Weds. and took my wife Becky, niece Ashley, and Connie (a nurse) to meet him. His house is a terrible mess. Black mold growing on the walls, ceiling in the bedroom falling in, the bathroom floor caving in, he had moved things from his house to the front porch (apparently trying to clean it up as best he could). Trees across the back of his house, the kitchen even more a mess than the bedroom or bathroom. He talks with us, tells us about his life there, he was in the Army, Korean War, heavy artillery. He has lived there all his life (with the exception of being deployed while in the Army). My niece Ashley asks to take his picture, she's very artistic and wants to paint his portrait. He tries to charge her $300 for taking his picture and laughs. What a character!
Connie checked him out to make sure he was ok. He showed her a wound on the back of his left calf and said a doctor had checked it out a couple weeks before. Thankfully no infection. I told him that I would be back later that afternoon to bring him some antibiotic cream for this leg. Connie told him to continue to take his heart medication.
On Thursday morning a group of us showed up to "straighten up" what little we could. I walked in the front door and his first words were "I took my medication". I told him I brought a few people to help clean up for him. In 3 hours, we made little more than a dent in what really need to happen. His house needs to be condemed. It's in an uninhabitable state. The"crew" talks with him as we clean up inside, and out. He tells us that there's a flag on the front porch and not to throw it out. It was his brother's "honor flag", and he wanted to hang it from the tree outside his house. Dana has her recorder and interviews him for a project she is working on. He wants to know if he'll be on Televison and agrees to the interview but it would cost her $300 a minute! Every time we turned around he was making slight jokes or pulling someones leg. He touched us all!
Of course, before we left we hung his flag for him, but not until I talked him into helping. I told him that the women there didnt know how to hang the flag, and that it was up to us "military men" to make sure it got hung properly. At that point he eagerly agreed.
Before leaving, around noon, I went to the front porch where he was sitting, put my arm around him and said that I'd be back to check on him later in the evening and for him to get plenty of rest. He reached up, grabbed my arm and said "your a good man". I felt as though I was going to choke. With a tight knot in my throat I said "I'll see ya later Granddad" and turned away with tears in my eyes. Thank God for the heat and sweat so no one would notice!
I showed up later that afternoon with Emery (a counselor). He tried to talk Mr. Alexander into leaving with us, telling him that his wife would not have wanted him to live in this condition (she died 5 years ago). His house is so bad that is not repairable. He's a stuborn old man!
GOD, I WISH THERE WAS MORE I COULD DO!!
"The Crew" in the write up I did, consists of:
Nick McGuire
Kevin Dill
Kim Skaggs
Dana Skaggs
Ginny Daugherty
Becky McGiffin
Ashley Anderson
myself
(my appologies if I missed anyone)
Please make an "honorable mention" of all these people who helped. I know Granddad appreciated everything they did. I saw more than one tear swell up in his eyes for what they did.
One last note. His bible had started to mold and I had to throw it out. I went to the book store and bought him a new one. I wrote a special note to him inside, thanking him for touching my life.
--mark (McGiffin)
Kim and I spoke with him briefly, took him a box of food, and made sure had plenty of drinking water. Kim had asked him how he was doing and if he needed anything. He insisted that he had all he needed and wanted us to keep what we had to give to others who were in more need than he was. He told us about his heart surgery that he had about 2 years ago. Showed us his scars, and told us he had stents inserted along with a defibulator.
He mentioned that he had stayed right there on the couch all during Katrina and Rita. Kim asked how high the water had come into his house. He said it was about a foot high in his home and he road the storm out right there on the couch. It was the worst he had ever seen. He told us how the water came up through the floor boards and the whole time wondered how it was coming in. He looked out his window and saw a river rolling through his front yard. The entire time more and more trash and debris flowed past.
This man touched me in a way that no one ever had. I finally made it back to his house on Weds. and took my wife Becky, niece Ashley, and Connie (a nurse) to meet him. His house is a terrible mess. Black mold growing on the walls, ceiling in the bedroom falling in, the bathroom floor caving in, he had moved things from his house to the front porch (apparently trying to clean it up as best he could). Trees across the back of his house, the kitchen even more a mess than the bedroom or bathroom. He talks with us, tells us about his life there, he was in the Army, Korean War, heavy artillery. He has lived there all his life (with the exception of being deployed while in the Army). My niece Ashley asks to take his picture, she's very artistic and wants to paint his portrait. He tries to charge her $300 for taking his picture and laughs. What a character!
Connie checked him out to make sure he was ok. He showed her a wound on the back of his left calf and said a doctor had checked it out a couple weeks before. Thankfully no infection. I told him that I would be back later that afternoon to bring him some antibiotic cream for this leg. Connie told him to continue to take his heart medication.
On Thursday morning a group of us showed up to "straighten up" what little we could. I walked in the front door and his first words were "I took my medication". I told him I brought a few people to help clean up for him. In 3 hours, we made little more than a dent in what really need to happen. His house needs to be condemed. It's in an uninhabitable state. The"crew" talks with him as we clean up inside, and out. He tells us that there's a flag on the front porch and not to throw it out. It was his brother's "honor flag", and he wanted to hang it from the tree outside his house. Dana has her recorder and interviews him for a project she is working on. He wants to know if he'll be on Televison and agrees to the interview but it would cost her $300 a minute! Every time we turned around he was making slight jokes or pulling someones leg. He touched us all!
Of course, before we left we hung his flag for him, but not until I talked him into helping. I told him that the women there didnt know how to hang the flag, and that it was up to us "military men" to make sure it got hung properly. At that point he eagerly agreed.
Before leaving, around noon, I went to the front porch where he was sitting, put my arm around him and said that I'd be back to check on him later in the evening and for him to get plenty of rest. He reached up, grabbed my arm and said "your a good man". I felt as though I was going to choke. With a tight knot in my throat I said "I'll see ya later Granddad" and turned away with tears in my eyes. Thank God for the heat and sweat so no one would notice!
I showed up later that afternoon with Emery (a counselor). He tried to talk Mr. Alexander into leaving with us, telling him that his wife would not have wanted him to live in this condition (she died 5 years ago). His house is so bad that is not repairable. He's a stuborn old man!
GOD, I WISH THERE WAS MORE I COULD DO!!
"The Crew" in the write up I did, consists of:
Nick McGuire
Kevin Dill
Kim Skaggs
Dana Skaggs
Ginny Daugherty
Becky McGiffin
Ashley Anderson
myself
(my appologies if I missed anyone)
Please make an "honorable mention" of all these people who helped. I know Granddad appreciated everything they did. I saw more than one tear swell up in his eyes for what they did.
One last note. His bible had started to mold and I had to throw it out. I went to the book store and bought him a new one. I wrote a special note to him inside, thanking him for touching my life.
--mark (McGiffin)
# posted by John McGuire @ 11:11 AM 
