This Nurse “Adopted” A Homeless Man She Just Met So He Could Get A Heart Transplant
Tags: opinion
It seemed like doom was closing in for Jonathan Pinkard.
Pinkard had autism but the worst part of his life was that he was homeless. He lived in a derelict men’s shelter at times, but most of the time, he lived on the roads. His mother was in a rehab center. After his granny died, Jonathan had to make a living of his own. Suddenly, in 2018, he had shortness of breath while at work. He was taken to the hospital and the doctors found out that Pinkard needed a heart transplant. From that day onwards, he had signed his death warrant. He visited the hospital frequently but he was not considered a suitable candidate for a heart transplant. He did not have the support who would look after him once the transplant is done.
But as fortune would have it, four months after the heart transplant verdict, Pinkard was admitted at the Piedmont Newnan Hospital. Here, he met with the nurse Lori Wood. Lori Wood always kept the personal and the professional separate. She had seen many desperate cases in her entire life as a nurse. But something about Pinkard moved her. Pinkard did not have anyone to look after him. His health was deteriorating and even tests were not being performed on him. Since he was not a suitable candidate for a heart transplant, doctors were mostly ignoring him.
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Lori Wood decided to do something about this situation. She decided to adopt Pinkard. She had an extra room. Lori had 3 grown sons at home. So, she asked her sons whether they would be okay if she brought Pinkard home till he recovered completely. They were delighted at their mother’s commitment to such a noble action. When Pinkard was discharged from the hospital, Wood took him to her house in Hogansville. Pinkard only owned a cellphone. Wood bought him a bedroom set and told him to decorate the room and make it his own.
Pinkard referred to the angelic Lori Wood as her Mama. She was his second mom.
Pinkard had his heart transplant in August 2019 and he is recovering. Wood ensures that Pinkard gets all the care he needs and also gives him the 34 pills he requires after the transplant. She takes him to the doctor’s appointments and also keeps him away from sodium-rich food like frozen pizza. Piedmont Healthcare has also honored Wood for ‘going above and beyond’ for a patient. They recorded a video of Wood and Pinkard.
Read: Homeless Woman Known As The “Subway Soprano” Scores A Record Deal
Wood gave Pinkard a new life and a new family. They also have a lot in common. Both love Family Feud and college football. However, Pinkard is an Alabama fan while Wood is a Georgia fan. It builds up into quite an excitement during football matches between these two teams.
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In July, Wood adopted Pinkard legally, though she had already adopted him way back when she brought him to her home for the first time. She is teaching Pinkard ways to cook healthy meals and also to become more independent. Jonathan wants to be with a girl and own a car. Of course, he can stay for as long as he wants, but if he chooses to be more independent, Wood will not be stopping him.
He is one of her sons and Pinkard is forever grateful to have such a power mom for himself.
Image Credits: Piedmont Healthcare & Lori Wood
Written by: Mayukh Saha
Hey! I am Mayukh. I help people and websites with content, videos, design, and social media management. I am an avid traveler and I started living as a digital nomad in Europe since 2019. I am currently working on www.noetbook.com - a creative media company. You can reach out to me anytime: justmayukh@gmail.
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