Episode 3. Rose's Story

Rose has always loved to dance, cook, and be surrounded by the people she loves.

After years of health challenges, diabetes, frequent falls, and a wound that eventually led to an amputation, Rose found herself homebound, in bed, and struggling with depression.

In this episode of The Bold Way Home, Rose shares her story in her own words, reflecting on survival, faith, resilience, and the support that helped her begin finding her way back to life.

This is Rose’s story.

*all voices in The Bold Way Home are participants of BoldAge PACE at the time of the taping of these episodes and are not paid actors. 

To learn more about BoldAge PACE please visit www.boldagepace.com or call 855-801-2653. 

If you are a caregiver for an aging parent, friend or loved one, or looking for more support, BoldAge PACE might be the answer you are looking for. 

Follow BoldAge PACE on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube

If you are looking for a PACE program in your state visit npaonline.org to find a PACE program near you. 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to The Bold Way Home. Stories of aging with care and dignity. Getting older doesn't mean wanting less out of life. If anything, it means wanting the right kind of support to keep living the way you want to live. But for a lot of people, the path there isn't clear. These stories are about that journey. They're about the moments where things change, the challenges people face, and what it looks like to find care that actually meets you where you are. Bold Age Pace is one way that can happen. It's a program that brings health care, support, and community together to help older adults stay independent and at home. Through these stories, you'll hear what that really means in someone's life. This is Rose's story.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

I'm originally from Charleston, South Carolina, born, bred, raised Charleston, South Carolina, and I'm 65 years old. I am a participant in Bold A Space in North Charleston, South Carolina. I was in my late 40s, early 50s. I was still out. I was outgoing. I loved to dance. I loved to cook. That's my passion. Before I came into bold age space, I was homebound in bed, wasn't able to walk, wasn't getting the correct proper treatment that I actually needed, which was more or less a downfold in depression for me. I was in bed for exactly two years. I was a diabetic for 13 years. I was so overweight, didn't listen to the doctors because, like I said, I was in that depression. I had a sore on my heel. Started out small, you know, it was irritating. I couldn't put my foot down. And it kept getting worse and worse. And eventually it got infected. It got larger and larger and larger. I'd used a walker and I had so much frequent falls. I was always on the floor. I would always have to call the fireman to come and get me off the floor. It was nerve-wracking. I wasn't able to get to the bathroom. And it got worse and worse and worse. The sensation and stuff in the leg was slowly, slowly going. And everything started getting blurry. I slipped into a diabetic coma. I was on my floor for nine hours. The fire truck pulled up. The EMT pulled up the same time. Fire department, fire department. And I used to always look at Chicago Fire. And I'd always look to see how they break these doors. It was real. I was like, oh, all I saw was pieces of my door lying over me. And it's like, my family's like, Rosie, you always got to put a joke in or something. I said, but the fireman literally tore my door down. And the foot specialist, he came and I was in tears. I already break down. He was like, oh my God, Miss Lance, how long were you dealing with this? I said, Doctor, it's been too long. I said, mentally, physically, I'm done. I'm done. And that was it. That's what led me to the amputation. My social worker came and spoke with me, told me her name, Miss Julie. And she came to my room and told me all about the company, what it offered. She told me step by step, word for word, what you guys offer. I was like, no way, no way. Can be true. I said, okay, Miss Julie, sign me up. And everything that she said was true. The center is in North Charleston, which is amazing. It blew my mind when I first entered. And then I started to get, you know, all the preps that came with it, all the CNAs and all the, you know, additional things that you guys offered. The staff is truly amazing. But let me tell you people something. Pace is the place to be. Believe me when I tell you guys, you will not be disappointed. We don't have to go to the doctors or anything. They have it on staff. Everything medical-wise, we deal with it in the center. And that's a blessing. It was a bother for me before PACE to catch a cab. Go to the doctor, catch a cab, come back from the doctor, go to the doctor, wait on the doctor, and pace stands behind what they say they're going to do for us. Mentally, I prayed. Thanks God. He's brought me through it. I'm here. I'm here. I'm here feeling better, doing better, just waiting to get my leg on. Had therapy this morning. I stood up two times. You gotta listen to the doctor. You gotta do what they say. You gotta eat what they say you can eat. I was almost 500 pounds. Now I'm at 201. I have lost all that weight. I am no longer a diabetic. I've not been a diabetic for over two years now. I'm doing good, eating right, living life to its fillers. The plan is for me to get my leg and to get back to being where I used to be. I am, I can, and I will. Walking, dancing, cooking, going out, getting back with my family functions. My family's like, Rosie, this is good. I said, I told you guys, just like we don't have to take turns carrying you back and forth to the I said, they come to me. They come to me. All they do is pick me up and carry me, bring me back home. Now I got more pep in my step. I'm just waiting on my leg and I'm ready to get down. Boots on the ground, honey. I am gonna dance. I will. There were times in my life when I wasn't able to do the things that I'm doing now. Two years ago, I was in a depression because I wasn't able to get out the bed and I wasn't able to walk and do things for my own that I was regular normally doing. Pace made a way for me to be back in the race that I was out of. I must thank Bold Age Pace for rescuing me from what I was dealing with, what I'm not dealing with anymore. I'm out of that shell, I'm in the sunlight, I'm doing so much better, so much better. I was unhealthy for so long, but it took me having to die to realize I want to live. I'm gonna preach it join bold age pace. Pace came through like a bright light. I am blessed, and all of you are too, to be still be here. I mounts the living. Thank you, God. Thank you, pace, thank you. I love it, I love it, I love it.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Rose's story is a reminder that even after years of struggle, pain, and uncertainty, the right support can help someone begin to find their way back to life. Care is about helping people get their strength back, their hope back, and the parts of themselves they thought they had lost. If Rose's story moved you, or if it made a think of someone in your life, share this episode with them. And if you or someone you love is looking for more support, you can visit boldagepace.com to learn more and see if it might be the right fit. Because we're all growing older, but we can still live bold.