I'm so happy I was there when she needed help

By Mary Brant, Regional Communications Manager

Dee Chase left a position working in the nursing field in 2019 and quickly discovered she wasn’t the retiring kind. She had been working as a licensed nursing assistant (LNA) at New Hampshire’s Veterans Home until an injury sidelined her and she decided to focus her desire to serve on volunteer opportunities. Dee became a Red Cross volunteer in February 2022.Nine months later she received her first call to volunteer service as Florida braced for Hurricane Ian's impact. 

Dee learned she would be organizing shelters for those displaced by the storm in one of the hardest hit areas – Fort Myers, Florida. But she had to get there, and Florida airports were closing down fast. To ensure her safety, she would have to leave the next day. Could Dee make that work?

“I was so excited to get the call but nervous at the same time,” said Dee. “I’ve worked in the healthcare field since I was just 24 years old and I knew my experience could help.”

Dee made the flight happen – and once she arrived in Miami, she connected with several other Red Cross volunteers on their way to Fort Myers. By this time Hurricane Ian had made landfall. The roads were flooded and blocked by fallen trees but the group eventually made it to their destination of South Fort Myers High School where they got to work providing shelter and caring for people forced to evacuate their homes.

On her second day, Dee was doing a walk-through of the shelter’s medical section when she met Debbie, an older woman who needed help to the bathroom. The woman was agitated and Dee’s nursing experienced took over. As Dee started talking to Debbie, she realized she had quite a story to share.

She told Dee, “My husband Phil is a big man and in the aftermath of the hurricane making landfall, he fell through the water-soaked floorboards of our home. We were both taken to the same medical facility. I was discharged and Phil was kept there due to his dialysis. I need to connect with him and make sure he’s OK. Can you please help me?”

Dee’s immediate response was, ‘Of course,’ and she helped Debbie with the paperwork that would allow Dee to help locate her husband.

It had been close to a week since Debbie had last seen Phil but following many calls Dee discovered that he had been transported to a medical facility in Fort Lauderdale. The medical staff there also shared that Phil was not doing well.

Dee offered to help Debbie get to her husband’s side, but the medical team did not think they would make it before Phil died. Red Cross volunteers, like Dee, are trained to offer comfort and support in emergency situations. When Dee gave Debbie the news that her husband of 47 years was near death she began to cry.

Dee was there to comfort the older woman – and she had a suggestion.

“What about FaceTime?” Dee asked. “If you want to try it, I will help you to make it happen.”

Dee says she struggled to keep her composure and be strong for Debbie as they prepared for a very emotional video call.

The nurse at the Fort Lauderdale medical facility asked Debbie, “Do you have any family with you?”

Debbie reached out and touched Dee’s arm, ‘Dee is my family.’

The nurse at the Fort Lauderdale facility held her phone’s screen up so Phil could see Debbie’s face and hear her words. Dee could see he was near death.

Debbie told Phil, “I love you.” Phil’s eyes flickered open and he mouthed “I love you” back.

“I am so happy that I was there for Debbie when she needed help, the experience was a powerful one for me,” said Dee. “It made me want to stay until every last person affected by Hurricane Ian had what they needed to be whole again.”

It’s been weeks since Hurricanes Ian and Nicole tore across Florida, devastating large areas of the state. The Red Cross is still on the ground working closely with our partners to provide support to people in need. To date, we have provided more than 59,000 overnight stays for more than 6,800 residents in more than 80 emergency shelters. With the help of our partners, the Red Cross has provided more than 1.7 million meals and snacks

To learn more about volunteer opportunities across our Red Cross Northern New England Region visit  redcross.org/volunteerNNE.