Ginny's Story.
Ginny came to us in October 2019. Having survived a brutal beating and abdominal surgery to repair ruptured intestines, she was now being discharged from the hospital and needed a safe place to land and recover.
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After a few weeks, Ginny moved to a domestic violence shelter outside of Springfield. However, the environment there left her drained and sick, and she was re-hospitalized. Ten days after returning to us in November 2019, she was ready to move on.
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During her first stay with Women’s Medical Respite in October, Ginny had mentioned a tender lump in her breast that she had noticed six months earlier. Staff immediately arranged for her to undergo a biopsy at the Breast Center.
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But before the biopsy could take place, Ginny felt she needed to move. Both her husband and grandfather had died of cancer, and she was scared. She felt she first needed to process her fears and make a plan...
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It was then that we lost track of Ginny. She lost her phone and did not call to give us another number. We tried to locate her at frequent gathering places of the homeless and by driving around town. On several occasions, the Breast Center called us for an
update of where she might be living. We all desperately wanted to help Ginny with her treatment plan.
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In August 2020, the Oncology Clinic called us. They had a homeless patient with metastatic breast cancer who needed short-term housing while they arranged for her to be admitted to a long-term care facility. Of course, we were happy to help this patient. Then we realized the patient was Ginny! Although we were saddened by her diagnosis, we were relieved that she had sought the care she needed to fight the cancer.
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Ginny was considering discontinuing treatment. She said it was too harsh for someone living on the streets or “sofa surfing.” She was exhausted and felt defeated with the prognosis.
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We gladly took Ginny back; she is a bright spot in everyone’s day! But immediately, Ginny would say, “Miss Carol, I don’t want to go to a nursing home. I’ll not be able to do my own thing there and will quickly lose all interest in life. But I’ll go because I have no other choice.”
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Enter Eden Village! We helped Ginny complete the application, which was approved a few days later based on her urgent need. We all cried and prayed, grateful that Ginny is no longer facing her battle against cancer alone and on the streets. Donors, volunteers, and staff at Women’s Medical Respite helped Ginny find a “safe place to land.”
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