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| Serving Muskegon, Ottawa, Oceana &
Newaygo Counties |
888 Terrace Street
Muskegon, MI 49440-1129
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Phone (231) 726-5025
Toll Free 1-800-499-5025
Fax (231) 728-4958
TDD 1-800-649-3777
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24 Hour Service
7 Days A Week
A nurse is on call after office hours and can be reached by
calling
1-231-726-5025 or
1-800-499-5025
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A Family of Faith and Fortitude Leaves Lasting Impression on Caregiver |
From HouseCalls, the quarterly newsletter of Hackley Visiting Nurse Services and Hospice, Inc. Summer 2004 |
A Humble Tribute
by Helen Rowe,
Registered Occupational Therapist
I knocked on the door, all was quiet inside.
I knocked once again. “Come on in,” Lisa cried.
I then met a couple who were honest and kind;
I had no idea what good friendship I'd find.
Between O.T. and P.T. and weekly nursing care,
Greg offered a smile or a soft-spoken prayer.
In therapy he worked hard every step of the way.
Despite fatigue or discomfort,
his determination didn't sway.
He never once deviated
from his Maker's strong hold.
His firm beliefs and convictions he'd gently uphold.
Exploring needs of the poor,
making sure they were fed,
He accomplished so much from his office-bed.
This man and his family, whose love nourished all,
Became a legend to tell, one I'll often recall.
Now he knocks on the door, all's divine inside,
No need to knock twice-the door opens wide!
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When Gregory Kirksey, pastor of Muskegon’s New Hope Baptist Church for 17 years, passed away in March of this year, the people of Muskegon—and beyond—bid farewell to a man who had been a stalwart example of his faith, and who continued to minister to others even as his health failed and he was beset  by pain and suffering. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people who can testify to how God worked through Pastor Kirksey to heal so many. This is the story of one individual who, as part of Pastor Kirksey’s health care team, helped him to adapt to his illness so that he could continue his important work… and who was forever changed for having known him.
The professionals who enter homes and provide medical care for the ill and dying in the midst of their families comprise a rare breed of individual. They deliver their professional services with utmost skill while also showing compassion for the patient and family members. Often they develop relationships that endure over many years. Such was the experience of registered occupational therapist Helen Rowe, who became much more than a paid caregiver to Pastor Kirksey. She became his friend and companion, and a part of his large, loving family, which included wife Lisa and five daughters: Maletta, Renee, La-risa, Hope and Carla.
Hackley VNS first became involved with Pastor Kirksey’s care in 1996 when Type I diabetes began to make his bones frail and his muscles deteriorate, and he was confined to a wheelchair after his tibia broke. Eventually, in 2001 his leg was amputated. Over the years, Helen Rowe saw him periodically to help him with activities of daily living. She explained that Occupational Therapy focuses on the upper body, helping patients, particularly those confined to wheelchairs, to maintain their strength and flexibility for the challenges of living without walking. She helped him to have more control and independence by analyzing the tasks he had to do and finding ways to alter his environment. “We found a way for him to use his wheelchair to go from the parsonage to the church office, where a first floor shower made it possible for him to take his own showers,” she explained as one example of ways her services assisted him over the years. She continued to work with Pastor Kirksey and his family until he was admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure in January of this year. Through it all, she marveled at his “faith and fortitude” in the midst of his suffering. “His constant good cheer was inspiring,” she says.
And Helen became good friends with another inspiring person, Lisa Kirksey, devoted wife to Greg and a person of faith and fortitude in her own right. “I never met anyone who was as knowledgeable of her husband’s medical condition and care as Lisa was,” Helen marvels. Lisa Kirksey often told her, “Between the Lord and Lisa, we’re going to keep Greg here as long as we can.” As is so often the case, VNS caregivers and the Kirksey family formed a team who “put their heads together” to find unique healthcare solutions.
For example, as part of the VNS goal to exercise conservative pain management, Helen learned a technique known as auricular therapy, which uses pressure points in the ear lobe to relax the patient and relieve pain. Helen taught Hope Kirksey, then six, how to do the auricular therapy for her father.
“That little girl would sit there with her Daddy and just stroke his ear until he relaxed and went right to sleep,” affirms Lisa Kirksey. “That was just one example of how the caregivers at VNS worked as a team with us to make Greg comfortable and help him to live life to the fullest.”
As she packs up and readies to leave the parsonage that has been her family’s home for 17 years, Lisa recalls her husband’s exceptional spirit. “He stayed focused on God and what God called him to do. He never gave up,” she said, and added, “He loved all of humanity. He had an undying concern for mankind. I’ve never seen a man love so hard and so much.”
Finally, Lisa is grateful for the care provided by HVNS. “We just fell in love with everyone at HVNS,” she said. “Greg loved and trusted them. They were just like family.” |
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