Vern Moments

Posted by Tia Ciferno and filed in Encouragement for Daily Living

VERN MOMENTS 

It was Easter day, about 11:30 pm,  when our son Michael was wheeled into room #330 after his emergency surgery. Mike and I walked along the hallway beside his bed and then waited outside the room while they got him situated. 

As the nurses wheeled him inside, I peeked into the room and noticed a figure on the first bed beneath white sheets. I saw the shell of a man, aged and wrinkled with dark purple bruising beneath his thin arms. His hair was white and wispy and his mouth was set firmly while he slept. My first thought was “Oh, no. Michael has a roommate…in such a tiny space, two people, and that man seems very needy.” 

I was to regret those thoughts. How I apologized to the Lord for judging on appearance.

As we settled in I walked over to the other side of the drawn curtain and met Vern Sanborn.  I shook his frail hand and introduced myself, my husband Mike and son Michael. Vern’s grip was strong and his 85 yr old eyes sparkled with life. As we spent the next 17 hours together, I would learn just how full of life this man was.

Our night nurse, Chrissy, was a down-to-business but very fun lady. I had asked if I could spend the night with Michael, since it was obvious that she was also a very busy lady on midnight shift with many patients to care for. I knew that if I stayed in the room with Michael,  I could do the things she might love to do, but would not have time for. Things like covering his feet with a blanket if they popped out into the cold.

Chrissy said it was my choice. I could stay if I liked. After the room quieted and I could see that Michael was succumbing to his pain medication with a blissful sleep, I pulled up my chair, leaned towards his bed and laid my head down on the side bar.  It wasn’t too uncomfortable and soon I was also fast asleep. Just a few minutes later Chrissy came into the room pushing a huge reclining chair with sheets and pillows…”You’re not sleeping like that!  Here. Let’s get this in here.”

It was much more comfortable on that recliner, and soon Michael and I were both asleep. But all through the night I awoke with a very tangible sense of urgency for Vern’s soul. It was something new to me, this weight, this amazing sense of importance to the Lord, for this individual I barely knew. I prayed for Vern all through the night.

Chrissy came in to care for Michael and Vern at least every hour in the darkness…and every time she saw Vern she said “Hey Handsome!”  He was very handsome…wjth a smooth voice that would rise and fall like a song. He was kind and sweet to the nurses, and they loved him.

At about 2:30 am Chrissy came to the room and said,”Vern, a friend of yours named Earl just called the desk to ask about you. He said he couldn’t sleep until he heard that you were OK. He also said to tell you he loves you.”Morning came at 6 am (too early) with the booming voice of a dieticians’ aide on Vern’s side of the room.
“What do you want to order for breakfast, Mr Sanborn?“Do you have cereal?.”“Yes…do you want Corn Flakes, Cheerios or oatmeal.”

The questioning continued loudly through all his other choices. Meat? Juices? Coffee? Fruits? Michael and I were now quite awake. It was Monday morning and I was so happy Michael had slept well in those first hours past his emergency appendectomy.

That morning my daughter Anna and her friend Hallie came in to visit Michael. The curtain was drawn and I whispered to the girls..” We LOVE Michael’s roommate. His name is Vern.” 

Hallie gasped and said “Ow!”

I wondered what happened. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Did you say he was burned?”

 Oh, we laughed so hard I had to go and tell Vern what Hallie thought I said. He laughed with us, and then I introduced him to the girls.

A short time later, after the girls had gone, a young lady with a clipboard came in to speak with Vern about his discharge the next day. She wanted to connect him with Hospice care and let him know what they would provide him. My heart sank. Vern was dying.

Soon after this a pastor from our church came to see Michael and to pray with him. Pastor Bill Stevens brought more laughter and even sang Michael a song about the Lord being able to do the impossible. He knelt by his bed, anointed his forehead with oil and prayed for Michael’s quick recovery. As he stood up, I whispered to Bill..”Could you do something before you leave?  There is the dearest man next to us. His name is Vern. I am not sure where he is with the Lord..and I just learned that he has lung cancer and has been referred to Hospice.”

Pastor Bill walked around the curtain to Vern’s bed and introduced himself. His friendliness and sincerity were obvious and Vern warmed to him immediately.

 “What are you in here for, brother?”

Vern told him about his lung cancer. He told him the doctors can’t cure it but that they are keeping it under control.

“And how old are you?”

Vern answered, “I’m 85.”

“Oh!” said Bill. “You only have five years on me. I’m 80.”

 Then he asked him if he served in World War II .  Vern said yes and told him he was in the Navy.

“I’m a Corps Man myself,” Bill said.  More connecting.

 “Listen, Vern, how’s your relationship with the Lord?”

Vern wasn’t shaken by this honest question. “It’s good.”

“If you died today, do you know where you’d wake up?”

“With Him,” Vern answered with confidence.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!  Then you know that it’s not a perfect life or church attendance that gets you into Heaven?”
“Oh, yes. And I havent’ been able to attend church for five years.”

“Well, can I pray for you today, Vern?”

Pastor Bill prayed with Vern. It was strong and beautiful. Michael and I were listening to everything from behind our green flowered curtain.

A few hours later there were many people visiting Vern. When they stepped out into the hall, I walked over and asked him if that was his family. 

“No, they’re my girlfriend’s relatives,” he answered. 

 Later that day Cindy, our day nurse, who was also extremely caring and efficient, sat with Michael and me and gave us the doctor’s instructions about his care.

“The doctor says no meat for four days.”

At that we heard Vern’s voice from behind the curtain. “Chicken wings aren’t meat!”

Michael laughed and laughed.

I had been praying that there would be some time when I could talk more with Vern before we left. Michael had fallen asleep that afternoon as he waited for his last IV medication to finish, and Vern was sitting on a chair in front of his bed, breathing heavy. He had just had a trip to the restroom and it tired him out. We talked a lot about the medication for one problem messing up his potassium levels and raising his blood pressure.
“I’ve had my blood pressure under control for year and now it’s all out of wack again.”

He was excited to be going home the next day, and argued a bit with the nurse about starting a new IV site when he was leaving in the morning.

 I gave Vern a Legacy CD, and told him I hoped that perhaps the music would be soothing to listen to as he regained his strength at home. He was so excited! He asked me all about the songs, and I asked him what kind of music he liked.  “Old fashioned,” he answered with a smile.

“Well, then I think you’ll like it. It’s pretty mellow.”

 We opened the CD so I could show him the photo of Mike and me on our wedding day. I described many of the songs to him…especially the one about my Dad.

 Vern was genuinely intrigued and interested in the music. While I was with Michael I heard him showing the CD to a nurse.  “Yes!  She wrote all these songs..and she sings too.”

 Before we left I asked Vern if I could have his address to send Healer of My Heart to him at his home.  We talked also about Pastor Bill and his prayer. He didn’t know he was from my church and said “Oh, so that was the man who gave me the blessing?” 

 We promised to pray for him and gave him a big hug goodbye as we left room 330.

 ___________________________________________________________________

 It is two days later.  I just received this email from a nurse at the hospital.

 Dear Tia,
One of the nurses from 3rd floor wanted me to tell you that Mr.Sanborn??
(I think that was his name..) passed away….

His nurse,Cindy, who is my friend, said that you would want to know……

 I called Michael crying, and said “Honey, Vern died!  This is so sad. He was so excited to be going home.”

Michael answered, “Mom, he DID go home.”

How good is our Lord?  That we would have the joy of getting to know this treasure of a man in his last hours on the earth?  That Pastor Bill could have that prayer with him?  Vern was surrounded by fervent prayer in his last days. And our God knew before the dawn of time that He would place us in room 330 with Mr. Vern Sanborn.  I am amazed.