Julia Owsley and Carol Dodds
Helping patients sleep easy
Read on to learn how the Blessing Foundation stepped in when patients didn’t have proper beds
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Carol Dodds was sleeping in a chair. Julie Owsley was sleeping on the floor.
Blessing Foundation donors gave them the gift of comfort and healing
It’s bedtime and you’re drifting off to sleep on a plush mattress surrounded by your favorite pillows and covered with a warm, cozy comforter.
Most of us take that comfort for granted.
A good night’s sleep is essential for all of us. But for people with medical conditions or for those who have undergone surgery, sleeping comfortably is critical for healing.
Sadly, not everyone can afford a good bed.
‘How wonderful it is to lay down’
Carol Dodds had been sleeping on a 40-year-old mattress and box spring on the floor but transitioned to a desk chair when her health deteriorated to the point when she could no longer get up from the mattress without a bed frame.
Then Carol had quadruple bypass surgery at the Blessing Heart & Vascular Center. Sleeping in a chair threatened to tear her surgical incision and increase the risk for infection.
The Blessing Hospital Cardiovascular Unit care team and the discharge planner sent a request to the Blessing Foundation to provide funds to rent a hospital bed for Carol to use for 30 days as she recovered from surgery.
But the Foundation wanted to address the issue long-term. Donations to the Heart & Vascular Center restricted fund were used to buy Carol a new box spring and mattress from Ashley Home Store in Quincy, which offered a discounted price.
A Blessing nurse wanted to donate a bed frame. Two Blessing employees volunteered to deliver the box spring and mattress to her West Point home and set up her new bed.
“I cannot begin to describe how wonderful it is to lay down,” Carol said. “No one knows how wonderful it is unless they have slept in a desk chair for a couple of months.”
She says her doctor, hospital staff and Foundation donors “changed my life in a very great way.”
‘They gave me a good bed’
Similarly, the Blessing Foundation helped Julie Owsley get through her breast cancer treatment more comfortably.
Julie endured surgery, chemotherapy (as she refers to it, the “hell drug”), and radiation therapy. She had been sleeping on the floor for months and needed a good mattress to help her get through her treatments.
The Foundation provided a mattress, box spring, and frame. Ashley Home Store, which offered a discount to the Foundation, delivered and set up the bed for Julie.
“I got so sick, all I could do was lay there,” Julie said. “They gave me a good bed to sleep on.”
The ability to get off the floor and into a comfortable bed “gave me peace of mind,” she said. “I was ecstatic that the Foundation helped me. I was very grateful.”
Julie celebrated her final cancer treatment on Sept. 6. She thanks her doctors, nurses – and the donors to the Blessing Foundation – for the loving care they provided.
If you’ve ever considered donating to the Blessing Foundation, Julie has a simple message:
“It’s a blessing,” she said of donors’ generosity.
“Try to love other people,” she added. “Remember, anybody can need something at some point in their lives.”
What is the Blessing Foundation?
Since 1983, the Blessing Foundation has been giving back to the community that has given so much to all of us. The charitable foundation distribute grants, scholarships and financial assistance to individuals and families to help them on their healthcare journeys.
For more information about the Blessing Foundation or to discuss a donation or gift, call (217) 223-8400, ext. 4800, or email us at BlessingFoundation@blessinghealth.org
