“Hometown Hero” changes elderly man's life

(Waynesville, Missouri) -- Connie Herndon's heart broke as she took her first steps into the filth-stricken Dixon home of 75-year-old veteran Edward Donahue. She could see the elderly man was entirely alone and lost, trapped in a collapsing home with no running water, electricity, plumbing, or phone. His only family and caregiver was gone, leaving him nearly blind, almost deaf, physically disabled, and in a home overtaken by dozens of dogs and decades of trash. As volunteers for the Pulaski County Humane Society, Connie and her husband, 1st Sgt. Phil Herndon, were called to the home that January day for the sole purpose of taking some of the dogs off the property and into better care.

But Connie quickly realized that this man needed assistance beyond animal care. He was nearly immobile, barely able to move using a walker, unable to drive, and imprisoned in a home that reeked of urine, feces, and the thick smell of a wood-burning stove used as the only source of heat for the home, with no place to go. “The man had just lost his wife of 44 years, I couldn't just leave him alone,” Connie said.

And day after day, Connie strapped on a safety mask and headed down the street to bring Donahue food and help clean the house up. Connie, her husband, and several other Humane Society volunteers, spent weeks clearing the home out to improve Donahue's living conditions. The crew quickly managed to accumulate 2.4 tons of trash from the home.

“That was really only a fraction of what was there,” Connie said. Connie found herself spending up to 80 hours a week with Donahue, and got to know a lot about him.

FULL STORY HERE: http://www.waynesvilledailyguide.com/article/20130321/NEWS/130329682