Posted on 02/16/2021 10:16:00 AM PST by Kaslin
CUMBERLAND, Maryland -- Had it not been for the kindness of strangers, Henry McCain would have died the way he led much of his adult life: cold, alone and without a blanket to cover his feet at night.
Instead, McCain left this world not a nameless drifter but with dignity, a sense of belonging and a last sip of his beloved ice-cold Coca-Cola.
On the morning McCain died, Pastor David Ziler and his wife, Andrea Ziler, went into the hospice room they had created at the homeless shelter they run, gave McCain his medications, cleaned him up and sat his weakened body up in bed.
"Henry looked at my wife and asked if he could have an ice-cold Coke, so she got him a straw and dropped it into his mouth, and he said, 'That's enough,'" Ziler explained.
McCain then rolled over and went to sleep.
"Fifteen minutes later, we came back in and he was gone," said Ziler. "All the way to his last, dying breath, he was wanting ice-cold Coke." Andrea Ziler, a registered nurse, said that Coke was one of several odd food choices he requested in the waning days of his life, as his liver cancer rapidly progressed through his body.
The money for food and for his casket, funeral service and tombstone all came because Pastor Ziler posted a fundraising request for McCain on the Union Rescue Mission Facebook page a couple of weeks ago.
Within minutes, the fundraising goal was met and then some. McCain never would have gotten all that had he not wandered into the Union Rescue Mission last year.
McCain's other dying wish was a desperate plea for his body not to be sent to the state mortuary to be cremated and buried with the other nameless homeless in the state. "He also specifically requested an extra blanket be placed around his feet in the casket because he said his feet were always cold," Ziler said.
The homeless often die having been long separated from their families, without anyone ever saying or knowing their names. Sometimes, their lives end in violence and injury, sometimes by their own hands. In places like Maryland, where temperatures can dip into single digits, they can perish from hypothermia.
The homeless population in the state is estimated to be over 50,000, with deaths more than doubling from 2007 to 2017, from 72 to 196.
Homelessness happens for a variety of reasons that stretch from poverty to abuse to sudden reversal of fortunes to drug addiction to mental health issues. Most of the homeless find themselves either falling between the cracks or walking away from systems designed to help and support them.
"As peculiar as it sounds, oftentimes, there isn't a specific cause that led to homelessness but a series of situations in a person's life that has put them on the wrong road in life," said Andrea Ziler.
McCain found himself on the wrong side of the law when he attempted to rob a home in the dead of night. He was charged with numerous infractions including reckless endangerment with a weapon -- his intended victim took the knife from him. He pleaded guilty to two of the charges and was eventually released from commitment.
McCain never told the Zilers or any of the staff who lovingly cared for him why his life went sideways. The family he had lost touch with found him through the Facebook fundraising post. Family members told the Zilers he was always welcome home and that there was never an incident that separated him from his nieces and nephews; he had just drifted away.
The good news, said David Ziler, was that his family came and sat with him and visited before he died.
Last year, the homeless shelter provided nearly 80,000 meals to those in need. It currently houses 55 people, with an additional 20 in the cold-weather shelter. Union Rescue Mission is a faith-based organization that does not take government money but instead relies on small donations to house and serve the homeless.
"When we told Henry he could be at peace because the money was raised, he teared up and said thank you," said Andrea Ziler. "He was a man of little words and emotions, so that was incredibly meaningful."
Pastor Ziler asked McCain to go to Adams Funeral Home a half-mile down North Front Street from the mission to make his own funeral arrangements. McCain told the funeral director he only wanted two things: that blanket on his feet and for "The Keeper of the Stars" to play at his service, a nod to the faith and friends he found at the end of his life.
"After he had his arrangements made, Henry asked the staff if we thought the people who paid for his funeral would be upset if he continued to pray for a miracle," said Ziler. "We assured him no one would be upset if we had to wait a few years for a funeral."
McCain's other dying wish was a desperate plea for his body not to be sent to the state mortuary to be cremated and buried with the other nameless homeless in the state. "He also specifically requested an extra blanket be placed around his feet in the casket because he said his feet were always cold," Ziler said.
The homeless often die having been long separated from their families, without anyone ever saying or knowing their names. Sometimes, their lives end in violence and injury, sometimes by their own hands. In places like Maryland, where temperatures can dip into single digits, they can perish from hypothermia.
The homeless population in the state is estimated to be over 50,000, with deaths more than doubling from 2007 to 2017, from 72 to 196.
Homelessness happens for a variety of reasons that stretch from poverty to abuse to sudden reversal of fortunes to drug addiction to mental health issues. Most of the homeless find themselves either falling between the cracks or walking away from systems designed to help and support them.
"As peculiar as it sounds, oftentimes, there isn't a specific cause that led to homelessness but a series of situations in a person's life that has put them on the wrong road in life," said Andrea Ziler.
McCain found himself on the wrong side of the law when he attempted to rob a home in the dead of night. He was charged with numerous infractions including reckless endangerment with a weapon -- his intended victim took the knife from him. He pleaded guilty to two of the charges and was eventually released from commitment.
McCain never told the Zilers or any of the staff who lovingly cared for him why his life went sideways. The family he had lost touch with found him through the Facebook fundraising post. Family members told the Zilers he was always welcome home and that there was never an incident that separated him from his nieces and nephews; he had just drifted away.
The good news, said David Ziler, was that his family came and sat with him and visited before he died.
Last year, the homeless shelter provided nearly 80,000 meals to those in need. It currently houses 55 people, with an additional 20 in the cold-weather shelter. Union Rescue Mission is a faith-based organization that does not take government money but instead relies on small donations to house and serve the homeless.
"When we told Henry he could be at peace because the money was raised, he teared up and said thank you," said Andrea Ziler. "He was a man of little words and emotions, so that was incredibly meaningful."
Pastor Ziler asked McCain to go to Adams Funeral Home a half-mile down North Front Street from the mission to make his own funeral arrangements. McCain told the funeral director he only wanted two things: that blanket on his feet and for "The Keeper of the Stars" to play at his service, a nod to the faith and friends he found at the end of his life.
"After he had his arrangements made, Henry asked the staff if we thought the people who paid for his funeral would be upset if he continued to pray for a miracle," said Ziler. "We assured him no one would be upset if we had to wait a few years for a funeral."
Mercy and compassion by the community for a criminal in the last moments of his life.......proper response.....
Thank you.
How far away is Cumberland from D.C. where the locals have trillions of dollars sent to them every year to deal with such things as homelessness and blanketlessness?
I just sent a contribution.
https://www.urmcumberland.org/about-us
About 4 hours and a world away.
This is a private charity. No govt money.
However, having worked for a church, they do have access to plenty of grants. Not to mention Franklins and Jacksons and other dead Presidents.
Not saying this church took said grants. My criticism is aimed squarely at the geniuses who run for government office their entire lives promising to end such plights if we will just tryst them to spend our money for us.
Sort of repetitive in places, though.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and come to You?’
“The King will answer, ‘Truly I say to you, as you have done it for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you have done it for Me.’
Cumberland, MD is 2 and a half hours from DC by car. Way outside the Beltway. Definitely flyover country.
Long ass story. The reasons for homelessness are not that many. Number one is drugs. Number two is mental health issues because of drugs. Number 3 is poverty caused by spending all their money on drugs. Then there is alcohol. Basically drugs. The War on Drugs has been a failure and it is way past the time to try something else.
What do you suggest we try? 170k die annually from drug overdose. Over 700k have died from AIDS. All of this crap exploded during the 60s hippie movement. Short of a Christian revival, it seems as though we are circling the drain, waiting on the Guy on the white horse, no?
Jesus or the AntiChrist? A lot of people would acccept either one.
“The reasons for homelessness are not that many” said you
~~~~~
...and there are those who run far away from abuse.
Ask me how I know
Tell me all about their stories from your psycho.the.rapist chair!
Posting vague generalities are not helpful. Life is not always what it looks like in self righteous towers and accusatory claims made of the cuff are low intellect, insensitive and caustic to those who have been damaged.
Your post is an insult to many
There’s a homeless guy in central Maryland that I see very frequently. He has a broken neck or something and cannot seem to raise his head so from behind he looks headless.
I see him just walking along the side of the road about every other time I’m out and about. I’ve stopped and tried to offer his a bottle of water or something and he kind of snarls.
I’ve never seen him begging or doing anything but walking along.
I used to know another couple guys like that. They just lived their life doing their thing and didn’t just stand on the road begging for their next fix.
In the red part of the state.
Maryland PING!
Tears here. God bless these angels of mercy.
Breaks my heart when I see homeless. I know that so many of them could benefit from being in a mental institution because they are just not capable of making good decisions for themselves.
So did I, now. Thank you for that link.
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