BOURNE – Army Veteran Charles Connolly was laid to rest at the National Cemetery in Bourne Friday. Connolly, a Vietnam Veteran was assisted by the Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center. Executive Director Jim Seymour posted a reflection on Connolly on Social Media: “I wanted to share the reflection from Carey Dobson who leads our Case Management Team who along with Case Manager Page Malinowski met Charlie when he came across CIVOC’s radar in early fall, referred to us by Providence VA VASH program. We were told by the referring social worker that he was between couch surfing and living in his car. We talked to Charlie, both Page and I, and learned that he had terminal cancer and was receiving all of his medical treatment through the VA in Boston.
For months, every other week he would drive himself to the Brockton VA to catch the bus to Jamaica Plain for his treatments, stay a night in the hospital, and then take the bus back to Brockton. The treatments would leave him sick and weak for a few days afterwards.
We knew that any independent housing program was not a good fit for him and began advocating to find him the most appropriate, safe place for him to live out his final days. As we sought out the best choice for Charlie, he agreed to take shelter in a hotel. He and I spoke on a Friday afternoon and he asked me to reach out to the Brockton VA Hospice Unit. He was confused as to why he had an upcoming appointment with them, why he couldn’t just be accepted to the unit, why after receiving a recent prognosis of three months left to live, he would need to have another exam in Jamaica Plain to get the final ok. I told him I would make the call and get answers and would call him Monday morning. During that conversation he told me he was not doing well, that he went into a convenience store a few days prior and didn’t think he was going to make it out of the store.
I made the call to the VA on Friday, December 15th at 3:50, minutes after he and I hung up. The nurse I spoke to said that she would talk to him and ask permission for the referral to be put through to the hospice unit without him having to go to the scheduled appointment. She said she would call him Monday.
When he didn’t answer my calls that Monday morning or the nurse’s, a welfare check was made by the Bourne PD and FD. When Charlie answered the hotel door, he was so weak that he fell into the arms of the paramedics. They rushed him to Toby hospital and on Wednesday Charlie was transferred to the Brockton VA Hospice Unit here he could finally rest, be cared for, and die with dignity.
Charlie did not have any family and only spoke of one friend, his bookkeeper Peggy, that he had known for thirty years. Peggy is 86 and lives in South Carolina. Unfortunately, she was not able to make it up to MA in time to say goodbye.
In the short amount of time we worked with Charlie, he was always grateful for any and all efforts that we made on his behalf. He didn’t want to be a burden to anyone, even when we reassured him that he was not. He always said thank you and God bless whenever he and I hung up the phone with each other. No act of service was left unnoticed on Charlie; whether it was making him a cup of tea when he came in to meet us for the first time or visiting him in the hospital, he always took the time to shake my hand, look me in the eye, and give a warm and sincere thank you. I will be forever grateful for meeting him and being allowed to stand by his side in his final days and am proud to be part of CIVOC, an organization that works passionately and tirelessly for our veterans.
I am confident if not for Carey’s standing up for Charlie – his final time on earth would have ended much differently – simply alone in his car dying of cancer.
Since Charlie has no family – In this season of family -we will be his family.”
Video by David Curran/Satellite News Service/CWN
