Va. Gerri is 72 years old and has four children, 11 grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and another one on the way.
She spent three years of her childhood in an orphanage after her mother abandoned her.
Eventually, Gerri’s father was able to bring her and her siblings home with him. In 1991 she was in a terrible car accident, in which she suffered a left below-the-elbow amputation. In 1996 her first husband died. In 2016 she lost her second husband under hospice services. As a result of the combination of many losses in her life, Gerri suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome. She openly talks about her years of hopelessness and sadness, and how she has worked intensively with a therapist to learn how to take care of herself. She also learned that she has a lot to give to others.
Gerri began volunteering with hospice patients in June of 2019. To date she has logged more than 150 hours between two patients! Both of her patients and family members have the utmost respect and praise for her.
When LouEllen Blake, volunteer coordinator, told Gerri how appreciative the agency was of
her services to their patients, she humbly replied, “My broken heart was mended through Christ and hospice, and hospice is my family”. She added, “I love putting a smile on someone’s face, and helping them helps me.”
Thanks to Gerri, for her wonderful service to our patients and their families and for sharing her story so that others may find hope in the darkness they are facing.
