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Mike had been a bartender, but he had a problem with substance abuse. A loner and homeless for many years, he preferred to live on the streets rather than in a homeless shelter. However, very cold months, like February, forced him to seek shelter. He came to St. Ben’s for the first time in February 2003 because the shelter sent him to get a tuberculosis (TB) test. He came to St. Ben’s again in February 2005 with a respiratory illness. He was a smoker and had emphysema. Occasionally, he said, he coughed up blood. Chest x-rays showed he had pneumonia. St. Ben’s treated him for pneumonia, and x-rays taken in March 2005 showed his lungs were back to normal. By November 2005, though, his condition had changed dramatically. A CT scan showed a lesion on his left lung, and a biopsy confirmed that the large tumor was cancerous. He agreed to radiation treatment, but he refused aggressive treatment. Then, surprising everyone, he stopped drinking and lived at the Salvation Army shelter for three months. Meanwhile, St. Ben’s Social Worker, Bill Mullooly, arranged for Mike to receive disability benefits. Terminally ill, Mike was losing weight. He came to St. Ben’s weekly for “BOOST,” a nutritional supplement a volunteer nurse donated for him. Through disability benefits, he got a place to call home—one room, a shared bathroom down the hall, a bed, a chair, a television, a microwave and an air conditioner. Eventually, Mike had to move to CSM’s Hospice where, visited by his St. Ben’s family, he died with dignity. Following a funeral service at St. Ben’s, his body was laid to rest in a donated grave located in the suburbs. **** Fry Kids Question: What can a group of grammar school children do with $124.48?
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Bittersweet Success