This is a story about Jerome, but I call him Jerry.
I had known Jerry for more than 12 years – ever since he dated my Mom. But I got to know him more in his last nine months of life than all the other months combined. He was 83 years old and lived alone ever since his wife passed away about 15 years ago, and didn’t have any blood relatives nearby. He was always a gentleman to my Mom, and took her to the Santa Anita Race Track, Las Vegas, Puente Hills Mall and even on a cruise.
It has been three years since my Mom’s passing on November 27, 2011. It was such a heartbreaking experience for me, but I never considered how it affected Jerry. He had lost his wife of more than 20 years to cancer before he met my mom. I could only imagine how it affected him to see another person close to him suddenly taken away. After my mom’s passing, I only kept occasional contact with him. Then around December of 2013 I became more involved in his life.
As a result of Jerry being the culprit of a hit-and-run accident, his driver’s license was taken away. I learned of the news from my sister and offered to take him to Costco and Walmart to get his groceries every Saturday. We would go have breakfast together and take turns paying for each other. Jerry had a really good appetite and often asked for the same food I was eating. During these moments I learned more about who he was, his emotions, demeanor, family, where he grew up, what he did, even about the things that irritated him.
I really enjoyed our time together and looked forward to it more and more. I believe he did, too. On September 17, 2014, a day that I was to take Jerry to his doctor’s appointment, I found him on his living room floor from an apparent fall. This began his 21-day ordeal of hospitalization which eventually led to his passing. I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride. When he was off life support, I asked him, “Do you know where you are going after you pass away?” Jerry replied, “Mount Sinai Memorial.” Jerry came from a Jewish background so I wasn’t sure where he stood in his faith and his thoughts on Christ’s saving grace. “What about heaven Jerry?” I asked. “That’s for good people,” he replied. I shared with him that we go to heaven not because we are good but because God is good and that Jesus made it possible. We prayed for salvation that day. Two days later I asked him the same question at which he replied, “Heaven.”
On October 7, 2014 I visited Jerry at 5:20 am which is when I usually visited. I would visit before I went to work and most of the time he looked confused, but this time he was unusually calm. I told him I’d be back after work and that I loved him. He smiled. At 9:00 am that same morning he passed away. I am so honored to have known Jerry, and to have spent that time with him. I know I will see him again in heaven some day.