Dan’s Story

A story of love, memory, and what it truly means to feel at home. Ruthann’s Night Light video.

Ruthann Harp shared the story of Dan, her husband, and their experience at the Morning Light Home. In her words, you can feel the care, dignity, and compassion at the heart of Morning Light’s mission. Dan Harp, husband of 53 years, spent his final days in Morning Light’s care.

“What kind of person was Dan?”

Dan was the kind of person that, if he saw somebody that needed something, he would try to get it for them.

One thing he said as he got sicker, and he cried about it, he hated that when he saw somebody pushing their car, he couldn’t stop and help push the car anymore.

He was a great dad.

If I would go to the store with the kids, they would get just straight things. If he would go to the store with them, he came back with all kinds of things. I said, “Where did those come from?”

“They just fell in the cart.” He’d say.

He was a really caring, kind, loving human being.

I mean, he had declined so much.

I was sleeping in a bunk bed next to the hospital bed because he wanted me in the room with him. You know, it was really rough.

And you know, if he sang a lot, I knew he was in a lot of pain. He sang a lot because he was in a lot of pain.

And it was really, really hard.

I was so tired and I was just fried. My sister said, “You could tell you had nothing left. You were hanging by a thread.”

Then one Monday, Olivia said our hospice nurse said, “Well, there’s a place, and they’re going to come out and they’re going to see if we would be suitable, or if we were the right fit for Morning Light.”

So they came out, and they said by Friday he would be in there. And I was like, “Oh.”

Because I just didn’t think I could do it anymore, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was so frazzled.

And they got him in.

All the caregiving staff, they were very gentle and very kind. And you know, they could have been… they weren’t. They weren’t.

And I was there. I think I missed one day of being there every day.

I could separate from being the full-time caregiver.

And then he got to go, what, a week or so after that, he got to go to the Fever game. And I think if he hadn’t gone then, he probably wouldn’t have been able to go because he went pretty fast.

He had an absolute blast.

They moved him around in the wheelchair, so he was really having a good time. He really enjoyed it. He liked the hats. He liked all of it.

He really enjoyed it.

And, you know, I was really, really grateful.

Morning Light was an answer to prayer for us.

It truly was a godsend for us because I didn’t know… I really don’t think I’ve ever been that tired in my life.

Thank you.

You deserve that respect, the dignity. And he got that there.

Before I left on Tuesday night, he whispered. He couldn’t say the words, but I knew what he was saying. He told me he loved me.

He was my guy.”

A huge heartfelt thank you to Ruthann for sharing her and Dan’s story.

Dan’s Making Memories Program event took him to the watch the Fever team at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It was a magical day for us all.