Medical care for those who would otherwise suffer alone

Danny is chronically homeless and mentally ill. He sleeps in the woods. While unwilling to come in for overnight shelter, he has proven willing to come to Good Shepherd Center for clothing, showers, and meals. Because of the positive rapport that Soup Kitchen and other staff developed with him, Danny offered to volunteer, organizing donations in the storage room.

One day, a staff member noticed that Danny was not walking well, and it appeared that he was in some pain. When she asked him about it, he brushed her off and would not offer any details about his symptoms or what might be wrong. The staff continued to observe this for about a week, with Danny increasingly struggling to walk, but each time they expressed concern, Danny simply waved them off and would not talk about it. Finally, the Soup Kitchen Manager went to the Medical Clinic nurse and explained the situation. She took the nurse to the storage area where Danny was working, and introduced her to him. The nurse, in a warm and engaging manner, coaxed Danny to return to the clinic with her. Once there, she spent half an hour talking with him, helping him understand that she meant only to help him. Eventually, he allowed her to remove his shoes.

Instantly, the source of his pain became clear – Danny's toenails, having gone untrimmed for many years, had grown so long that they had curled under, cutting into his foot. They were now imbedded in the bottoms of his feet, and the areas were becoming infected. The nurse began a lengthy process of soaking his feet, trimming the nails, soaking, and trimming again. It took several days of this to adequately trim the nails, clean his wounds, and get the infection under control.

Eventually, Danny's feet were returned to relative health and his discomfort ended. Even for a nurse and staff who sometimes feel that they have seen everything, this experience served as a reminder of the value of small things – including access to nail clippers – that even we find ourselves taking for granted.