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Shirley and her husband, E.J., moved to Reno 15 years ago to be closer to family. Soon after, E.J. began experiencing heart problems and underwent a quintuple bypass surgery. Despite a successful surgery, his health continued to deteriorate and it soon became apparent that E.J. would never fully recover. E.J. asked Shirley to promise that he could die at home, comfortable, surrounded by family. Shirley agreed, but worried about how she’d fulfill the most important promise she had ever made. One day, their daughter drove by CARE Chest and stopped in to inquire about our services. The family was thrilled to learn we could provide them with a hospital bed, commode, walker and wheelchair for E.J. to use in his final days. E.J. was adamant that the hospital bed be placed in his and Shirley’s bedroom, because as he explained, he had slept in the same room with his wife for 52 years and he didn’t want that to change now. E.J. died in August 2010, surrounded by his beloved wife, children and grandchildren, just as he had asked. Despite her husband’s passing, Shirley realizes life must go on. She is scheduled for a knee replacement soon and CARE Chest helped her with a shower chair and raised toilet seat to use during recovery. Shirley and her daughter said words cannot describe what CARE Chest means to their entire family. We told her that we didn’t need words—the tears in her eyes spoke loud enough.