For thousands of Americans across the country, home care allows them to be contributing members of society, giving them the freedom and independence to live life to the very fullest despite their diagnoses. During National Patient Recognition Week, Hearts for Home Care celebrates some of these unique and inspiring patients who are foraging their own path and letting nothing slow them down. These individuals are proof that quality, in-home care, can truly change someone’s life for the better.
La Mondre Torohn Pough
LaMondre Torohn Pough not only lives his life in his community, independently, but is also contributing member of society. Thanks to the support of home health aides who care for him and keep him safe at home, LaMondre has become a highly successful businessman, owning his own podcast, 5P with LaMondre, and company that focuses on inspirational speaking, entrepreneurship, and consulting. If it weren’t for his in-home caregivers, LaMondre would need to be cared for in a long-term care facility instead of thriving at home.
In return, LaMondre is a passionate advocate for the healthcare heroes who care for him along with other people with disabilities. He says: “Caregivers contribute so much to the community of people with disabilities and society as a whole. Effective advocacy is essential to ensure that we create an equitable and sustainable future. We are in this together.”
John Letterman
After a severe car accident in 2020, North Carolina resident, John Letterman was left paralyzed from the neck down, unable to walk, talk, or breathe on his own. Unfortunately, as he was preparing to be discharged from the hospital, John’s family were not told they had the option of bringing John home under Private Duty Nursing (PDN) care. Knowing no other option, they placed him in a nursing facility where his health deteriorated.
After a long and stressful separation from his family, John was finally able to return home to receive PDN services in his home. Since returning home with one-on-one nursing care, his condition has improved immensely, no longer requiring a feeding tube, able to talk on his own, and slowly making progress in regaining movement. Thanks to this quality, in-home care, John recently invited Representative Greene into his home (virtually), to show the importance of the care he receives and advocate for better access to care. John said that it’s important that decision-makers understand the impact of home care, espeically if they are the ones passing the budget and determining funding. “We need more people educated about home care so they can be advocates for us too,” he said.
Erin Hamby
Erin is 20 years old and relies on highly skilled nurses to care for her complex medical needs in the comfort of her home. If it weren’t for access to home care, Erin would unfortunately be in a skilled nursing facility, separated from her family and friends and without the personalized care she receives at home. However, thanks to in-home care, she has not let her diagnosis slow her down! With the support and care from her in-home nursing team, Erin has been attending college at Caldwell Early College and most recently, she was accepted at N.C. State, which she will be attending virtually in the fall!
Erin’s father says that home nursing is crucial to Erin’s quality of life: “It allows her to be home and not in a facility. Her nurses have become her friends and they are invaluable to us as a family in managing her medical needs, equipment, and prescriptions. I don’t know how we would manage without these nurses, to be perfectly honest.”
The Client and Family Advocacy program has some exciting updates that are underway. When you have a moment, visit our advocacy website at 
