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A Journey Toward Health

Gordon McCutcheon was shocked when his jaunt to the dentist turned into a high-speed trip to OU Med Center.  “I was having trouble with an abscessed tooth and I went to see a dentist.  After the exam, he referred me to an ear, nose and throat doctor and he wanted to me to stay in the hospital overnight for observation.  I thought, Why? It’s just a toothache!”

Suddenly, Gordon’s hospital room was filled with doctors!  “I heard oncologist, radiology, chemotherapy, internal medicine and I thought, what’s going on here?  Well, they tore right into it.  I was in the hospital 45 days.”

A self-employed house painter, Gordon had no insurance to pay his whopping medical bills.  The hospital referred him to City Rescue Mission where he could find basic help such as free shelter and meals.  On the way to the Mission, Gordon says, “I stopped in a dirty field to clean my tracheotomy hole.”

At the Mission, folks immediately surrounded him with concern and love.  He also found free medical care—something he desperately needed.  “They’ve given me my own clean room in a clean environment.  They are concerned with my diet.  They help me with my prescriptions and with Medicaid, SSDI and other paperwork.”

Not only has Gordon found professional medical care at City Rescue Mission, he’s touched by the staff’s respect for him.  “Abby Reed (clinic director) made me feel like a human being with dignity,” he says.  “The night security staff check on me every two hours during the night.  The staff prays for my healing and when someone found out I like to paint, they got me art materials.”

Currently undergoing the third of eight rounds of chemotherapy, Gordon tires easily.  When fears about his illness creep in, he relies on the clinic staff for support. “They’re familiar with the side effects of chemo—he numbness in my feet and the debilitating anemia.  They speak in terms I understand.  I’m surviving day by day by the grace of God.”

Surprisingly, Gordon sees a positive side to his ordeal.  “God has used cancer to fortify my faith.  In this place, people who have addictions, cancer, other sickness … if they are hurting and need help, they’ll learn Christ is the answer.  The Mission is making people aware life is short, fragile and He infinitely cares about us.”

Gordon knows City Rescue Mission is supported by contributions and says,  “Donors should know the money they give is not spent frivolously.  I don’t know how the Mission squeezes so much out of so little.”

A note to our readers …

Gordon McCutcheon died Friday, March 24, 2006, following a heart attack at St. Anthony Hospital.  “I was able to see Gordon before he passed away and told him how much we all loved him,” says Abby Reed, CRM clinic manager.  “I know he is now with our Lord.”