Danah Peace-Laws, who works in Care Management and oversees the Foundation-funded Medical Relief Fund, recently shared one such experience that unfolded on a dark, stormy autumn day.
A man had been brought into the Island Health Emergency Department (ED) by EMS after being found on Deception Pass Bridge, ready to end his life. Something deep inside had urged him to stop. He thought of his 4-year-old son and his wife, who had been living with him in a van after recently losing their housing—circumstances far beyond his control. And despite working odd jobs, applying for shelters and completing countless applications for transitional housing, he was terrified that his wife might give up on him and leave with their son. After stepping back, he was spotted by the Anacortes Police Department and brought safely to Island Health’s Emergency Department (ED).
By the time Danah arrived, the man was overwhelmed—sobbing, exhausted, and desperate. He didn’t want to die; he simply didn’t know how to keep going. He spoke of his love for his family and of the tremendous weight he had carried over the past two months. Danah gently suggested that maybe what he, his wife, and his young child needed most was simply a warm, safe place to stay for the weekend. She then told him about a Foundation-funded resource – the Medical Relief Fund – which can provide short-term emergency lodging at a local hotel for patients needing a safe place after discharge. Thanks to generous donations to the Medical Relief Fund, this became a turning point. Danah then helped him set up an appointment with the Anacortes Family Center for Monday. He broke down in relief, and immediately called his wife.
From there, Island Health rallied around the family. The kitchen prepared meals—and even added gummy worms for the little boy. The Foundation provided a gift card and a brand-new children’s book. Danah found a donated child’s quilt covered in trucks and construction vehicles—perfect for the child to snuggle during the stormy nights ahead.
Outside, the storm raged—but inside that hotel room, this family found warmth, safety, hope and the support they desperately needed. Thanks to the Medical Relief Fund and the compassionate staff who stepped in that day, despair was replaced with possibility.
“We cried, too,” Danah shared. “Out of gratitude that we could make a life-changing difference that day.” The next morning, the family returned to say thank you. The little boy beamed with his quilt and book, and the parents expressed heartfelt gratitude for the life-or-death impact the hospital team had made on that dark and stormy day.
Your generosity makes moments like this possible—providing shelter from the storm, turning crisis into care and despair into hope.