Army veteran's dying wish: Call or text me

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — A dying Army veteran from Texas has a final wish: He wants to hear from you.

Lee Hernandez, who is in hospice care at his home in New Braunfels, Texas, has undergone three brain surgeries and has suffered several strokes, the Arizona Republic reported.

His wife, Ernestine Hernandez, said she found a therapeutic way to brighten her husband’s day: Phone calls and text messages from others. Lee Hernandez asked his wife to hold his phone one day “in case someone calls,” the Republic reported. Two hours later, he was despondent.

“I guess no one wants to talk to me,” said the  47-year-old veteran, who served 18½ years in the Army including a tour in Iraq.

“It broke my heart,” Ernestine Hernandez told the Republic. “(Lee’s) speech is not very well, so many people didn’t take much interest or want to talk with him.”

That is, until she contacted Caregivers of Wounded Warriors.

Since the Arizona Veterans Forum posted his wish on Facebook, Lee Hernandez has been receiving plenty of calls and texts.

“A lot of people call to pray with him,” said Ernestine Hernandez, who reads text messages and cards of support to her husband. “It really uplifts him.”

Lee Hernandez’s telephone number is 210-632-6778. Ernestine Hernandez said the best time to make contact is during the late afternoon or early evening,  Central Daylight Time, the Republic reported.

Cox Media Group