by Jim Varey
My brother, Steven, swims in the Men’s 50m Freestyle at the Special Olympics. Let me tell you about the last time he competed. Stephen had a great start, but hit a wall about three-quarters of the way through the race. I stood on the deck, but once he completed the initial 25m, I couldn’t see him on the return pass. When I did see him, it seemed he thought the race was completed. He was clearly gassed and aware that everyone was finishing ahead of him. But he dug deep in a futile effort to make up as much time as he could, even though it was evident that he couldn’t win or even place.
At this point, I stopped recording and hustled over to the top of his lane. The gym had previously been bustling with ovations and cheers, but now was eerily quiet. Before Steven put his head down to give it his all, he looked right at me as if to say, “I’m finishing this damn race!” For a moment, nothing else mattered and there was no one else in that gym besides my little brother and me. It was if we were kids back in Carol Stream at the Aldrin Swimming Center, trying to get to the last wall.
by Elizabeth Green
On a regular basis, everyone sees how wonderful, talented and amazing our staff is. We hear from Sister Rosemary that we share our family members with our Misericordia family and never was this so obvious to our family than during the end of life.
Recently, my sister, Kathy, was in her last days. My parents and I experienced our McAuley staff at their finest. From the start of the end of life process, the staff let us know that they would be there for us, to support us through every step of the process.
We were able to be in constant contact with Kathy’s Director, Q, nurses and CNAs. They were all open to us calling in to check on Kathy when we couldn’t be there. They made sure she had all of her comforts and favorites: pillows, food and, most importantly, hugs and love.
by James Lee
On a warm August morning, we received a call informing us that Jason and Sean would be moving into the Rosemary Connelly Home at Misericordia on November 7, 2016.
It was one of the hardest challenges that we had had to face in almost 20 years! Jason being three years older than Sean, gave us such a hard time. He knew exactly what was happening. We were breaking his daily routine. Our boys are non-verbal and non-ambulatory, but both understood everything that was going on.
Several years earlier they were diagnosed with BCAP-31, a very rare genetic disorder.
by Diane Carpenter
When our daughter Beth was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 ½ and the severity of her disability became apparent, the never-ending worry began of who would take care of her when I no longer could.
As she got older, the realization that she would need to live in a residential facility someday was too heart breaking to contemplate, so it got pushed back to the “I’ll think about that later” part of my brain.
23 years ago when Beth was 14, Rob, a friend of ours whose daughter lives at Misericordia, told us all about Mis. He and his wife took us for lunch at the Greenhouse Inn and arranged for us to go on a tour to see what Mis was all about. We were quite impressed. I picked up an application which sat on my desk for 6 years because I wasn’t mentally ready to fill it out. Rob then gently reminded us that we should at least get the application in. So, I called Mis and got an updated one, and it sat on my desk for another 6 years.
by Judy Wall
Christy was our first child and first grandchild for my family. Joy and excitement were ours during her early weeks and months. I began to get my feet under me as a mom, Jim adjusted to the newness of being someone’s dad, and Christy, well Christy was a happy, healthy, beautiful, bright infant full of smiles and coos. In December of 1977 Christy turned 5 months old, her seizures began, and life as we knew it ended. Any simple assumptions we had about the road ahead were erased, although we did not yet know this. The first seizure lasted 2 hours, brought an ambulance ride, a hospitalization, tests, and anticonvulsants. As well as the hope that terrible experience would never recur. Of course, within a few weeks another seizure came, and now through her 45 years they have never stopped coming. They sneaked around every anticonvulsant and treatment and continued to cause damage. As the years have gone on, they have robbed my precious daughter of so much. But those of you who know Christy see a happy, smiling, joking girl who has boundless love to give.
by Linda Buchalo
The Shannon Apartment building was constructed in 1991, thanks to the generosity of Brian and Sue Shannon. The building is situated on the perimeter of the campus, directly across the road from the Moore Aquatic and Fitness Center.
Shannon Apartments is currently home to 56 male and female residents who are moderately independent and able to perform daily living activities with limited assistance. Staff are available to provide guidance, supervision, training, and other assistance. The apartments are also home to some very special residents, including Sr. Rosemary and Fr. Jack.
While Shannon Apartments has had various renovations over the years, the basic structure of the building has remained the same - a multi-unit dwelling with a large common gathering and dining area. Residents live within their own apartment, and these vary in size, serving between one to five people. The building is co-ed but each apartment is all male or all female. Each apartment has its own living room, dining room, and kitchen, in addition to the bedrooms and bathrooms. There are several offices and a meeting room on the main level. The lower level has a social center, game room, computer room, and three-lane bowling alley. These rooms are well-used, but during the recent pandemic, residents were especially appreciative of these extra amenities.
by Linda Buchalo
Our next stop on the tour of Misericordia residences takes us to Mercy Glen, the home of 47 very fun-loving and outgoing individuals. This group definitely enjoys life to the fullest.
Mercy Glen comprises four ranch-style homes that were constructed in 2010. Three of the homes are all-male and the fourth serves female residents. Each home has a main living area and kitchens as well as a large lower-level social area. The bedrooms are divided into single and double rooms, for a total of twelve beds per house. Patios and gardens provide a place for gathering outdoors.
Each home is staffed by three people per shift. The residents at Mercy Glen benefit by additional support from staff for activities of daily living and navigation within the campus. All the homes are a short walk to support services and the campus amenities, maximizing the quality of life for Mercy Glen residents.
By Kathryn Moery
Those two magnificent floors in the building above the new Misericordia Hearts & Flour Bakery and Café invite the curious eye upward from street level. These floors house the Ravenswood programs, which include the art studio for Misericordia residents, and coffee production, creating more opportunities for competitive employment in the community. Visiting the building with Michael Diaz, Administrator of Employment Services and Community Day Services, and Charles Carper, supervisor of the coffee packaging program, we talked and toured the upper floors of this incredible site to see what is happening, and to learn what the future holds.
The second-floor art studio enjoys panoramic terrace views. On any given day, six to eight residents will find inspiration for creating their Artist in All works under the guidance of Allison Slak, a painter and jewelry-maker in her own right. The views outside on the terrace may activate the creative juices and rhythms to flow, but Allison also integrates chair yoga outdoors on the terrace to encourage spirituality and sensory stimulation. On our recent visit, we encountered colorfully masterful renderings of ’57 Chevies, the greens of a peaceful golf course, and the leaves of a tree bursting forth with color as the artist worked. These artists will receive fifty per cent of the proceeds of the sale of their art, closely comparable to private art sales by artists in the community at-large.
by Linda Buchalo
Our second stop on a tour of residential areas on the Misericordia campus takes us to the Marian Center, which is the oldest residence. The campus was once home to the Angel Guardian Orphanage, which closed in 1974, and both the main building and Marian Center now stand in that exact spot. Constructed in 1976, Marian Center is situated within the main building and has two floors, ten apartments, and 88 residents. The apartments are evenly divided—five male and five female living spaces.
Apartments in the Marian Center are designed with an open concept for living room, dining room, and kitchen. To ensure the safety of the residents, kitchens do not have a stove. Each apartment has four or five bedrooms, a den, a control station and laundry room for dirty clothes and storage. Over the years, the space was renovated, with updated flooring, new furniture, updated decor, and an HVAC/air filtration system controlled at the touch of a button. Recently, the project to update the bathrooms, which was halted by the pandemic, has begun again.
by Linda Buchalo
(Author’s Note: This article was written during the pandemic and reflects the restrictions in place at that time.)
This is the first in a series of articles about the various residential living areas on the Misericordia campus. Today, we visit Quinlan Terrace, which opened in 2016. The four brick homes, located in the center of the campus, were specifically designed to address the evolving nursing, therapy, and healthcare needs of residents with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other age-related conditions. Quinlan Terrace is the long-awaited answer to Misericordia’s need to provide for an aging population.
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