Patient Hits The Open Road on Gift of a Day

Crossroads Hospice patient Lonnie Roach misses the sounds of an engine and the smell of diesel fuel. The Dayton native spent 26 years driving a chemical tank truck, developing a love for the open road and the feeling he got behind the wheel. It’s been years since the 65-year-old has been in the cab of an 18-wheeler and his Crossroads Hospice care team saw this as their chance to make a perfect hospice patient story come to life.

Thanks to Crossroads’ Gift of a Day program, which grants patients’ wishes for the perfect day, Roach returned to the open road. Doree Martin, the Volunteer Coordinator for Crossroads Hospice in Dayton, asked her husband to bring his auto transport truck to Roach’s residence home.

Together, they hit the open road and relived some of Roach’s fondest memories.

“Being in that truck, you get all the freedom in the world,” Roach said. “If you’ve never drove one, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

To capture this incredible hospice patient story, local television stations sent their camera crews to speak with Roach. Seeing himself on television later that evening made this Gift of a Day all the more special.

To see more from this hospice patient story, check out the footage from Dayton’s WDTN and ABC22.  

When Roach returned from his drive down memory lane, his care team had a special lunch waiting for him and his family.

Watch a video clip from Roach’s Gift of a Day.

The Gift of a Day program asks patients what their perfect day would be. Then staff and volunteers work to make it a reality. The process begins as soon as a patient is admitted into hospice care. It brings out the best in the community, with Crossroads staff, volunteers and area organizations coming together to create special hospice patient stories. The requests have been as varied as the patients Crossroads serves.

Read more Gift of a Day stories

It was inspired by Jim Stovall’s novel, “The Ultimate Gift.” Blind from age 29 due to a degenerative eye condition, Stovall went on to become an International Humanitarian of the Year, a national Olympic weightlifting champion, Emmy-award winner, world-renowned author and speaker.

Find out more about the Ultimate Gifts program

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