The holidays are all about spending time with your family. And for those that don’t get to be with their family everyday, being home on Christmas is even more special.
Julie McCarthy may not be able to say it, but this Christmas is a dream come true. Seven years ago, a blood clot in her brain changed her life forever.
The 37-year-old is now a quadriplegic and has been getting specialized residential care at the Villa Coronado Skilled Nursing Facility for six years.
Julie's family has always been tightknit, but now, they’re closer than ever.
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“She’s come a long way from those days in the ICU,” Julie's father, Michael, said.
He says having her home for the holidays was on everyone’s Christmas list this year.
“It’s important that we see that Julie has the support of the family. Her sister will go during the week and sit with her and watch shows. They used to watch some of the sitcoms,” he explained.
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Instead of spending Christmas at Villa Coronado, Julie is home for the holidays.
With help from American Medical Response, or AMR, Julie and many others around the country made it home for Christmas. The "Home for the Holidays" program provides courtesy round-trip transportation for people in assisted living or other care facilities, so they can spend time with family and friends at home during the holidays.
“We don’t have the ability to transport her. We can’t move her. Our vehicles don’t support it, so being able to have her home is really special and we’re really appreciative. That’s a generosity that is really good,” Michael said.
Julie’s mom, dad, sister and even her 13-year-old son were all there to welcome her home.
“It’s a feeling that’s deep inside. Really really special,” Michael said.
At the end of the day, Julie will go back to Villa Coronado to continue her care, but this Christmas will be a memory that her whole family holds onto forever.
The AMR Home for the Holidays program happens every year. This year, they did two trips around Thanksgiving and one at Christmas.
