Steve & Omar's Goodbye
I was out of town on a business trip when I received an early morning phone call from the emergency room telling me that my husband Steve, a retired Marine officer, was being admitted to the hospital. I learned that an MRI test had indicated a large tumor in Steve’s brain that would require surgery. Immediately I prepared to depart and after a 5-hour trip back home, I arrived at the hospital and went straight to Steve’s room.
When Brenda and the staff at LBHF learned about Steve’s request to see his horse, they
immediately embraced the idea with a strong resolve to make it happen. What unfolded next
surely evidenced the fervor and passion Maya Angela must have meant when she spoke, “Love
encourages no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its
destination full of hope.” The entire LBHF team joined together in moving quickly to create a
special Memory Gift, an experience, an act of kindness designed especially for Steve and for me.
From lining up an ambulance large enough to transport Steve in his bed, and his nurse, to
coordinating staff schedules with the director of the ranch and to insure that Omar was going
to be there when Steve arrived. Brenda and her staff of LBHF had thus created an act of
kindness that would touch the hearts of countless individuals.
Within just a few days, a caravan of cars followed the ambulance to the horse ranch. When we
arrived, Steve and his mobile bed were moved from the ambulance and wheeled into the stable
area. You could smell the fresh hay and hear the horses stirring in their stalls. Within a few
minutes, Omar’s trainer had Omar by the reins and you could hear the sound of his hoofs on
the barn floor now heading directly toward Steve and his group of friends. Immediately you
could sense that Omar recognized Steve as he began to gently nudge Steve’s arm with his nose.
The ranch director lifted Steve’s arm to help him stroke Omar’s face and feel his mane. It was
then that Omar drew closer to Steve and this time nudged his nose underneath a pillow laying
on top of Steve’s chest. I’m convinced this was Omar’s way to get closer to Steve’s heart and
for Steve’s deep desire to see his horse now become realized. Amongst the crowd, there was
not a dry eye as they watched a man in his final days unite one more time with the horse he so
tenderly loved. Within a short time, Omar was taken back to his stall and Steve needed to be
returned to the comfort of his room.
However, before the crowd dispersed, a staff member from the ranch returned to Steve’s side
and gently whispered in his ear that Omar had a special gift for him. She had artistically braided
a few hairs from Omar’s tail into the shape a cross. She placed it on Steve’s open palm and
then gently closed his fist with the cross secured inside. For the next few days Steve kept the
braided cross clenched tightly in his fist. Since Steve’s passing, the braided cross remains a
cherished keepsake for the family to reflect on the entire Memory Gift experience that will be
shared for years to come.
Each Memory Gift has immeasurable value to those who have had their spirits lifted in
countless ways. Because of the kindness shown by the family and friends of the LBHF, the
legacy of Lorraine Bethea and her love lives on. And to Brenda Cobb and her leadership of the
Memory Gift program, “thank you” and a big “Oorah!” from my “Semper Fi” marine who was
indeed able to complete his mission by “ending well.” “Well done sir, well done!”