The Story of John Doe

‘T’was the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the town, people were baking, shopping, or sitting down. One of them never got back up. He was a homeless man who fell asleep behind a Safeway on the Rt. 1 corridor. That night was very cold, and he died of hypothermia.

You might wonder why details about this particular person? During MVUC’s 2007-2008 VIC-HOP service, several of us became acquainted with this homeless man, let’s call him John Doe. He participated in VIC-HOP, and was occasionally going to the Kennedy shelter for the homeless. John Doe had a degree in biology, used to have a home on Mason Hill Drive, a family, a car, and a job. He also used to come to MVUC. John Doe’s life went down the drain when he killed someone in a car accident. Between police charges, family turmoil, lawyer fees, and associated events, John Doe lost his job, then his house, finally his family. The unexpectedly fast turn of events plunged him into deep depression, and at the time MVUCers were meeting him at the homeless shelter last year, he was drinking himself into the ground – probably to forget what he used to be, so that he could cope with whom he had become.

The story of John Doe is not unique. Most of the homeless you see in the streets used to have lives and dreams. Some people are made as such that once they slip, they cannot get back on their feet. We could not do anything for John Doe last year because he was in complete denial about his drinking problem. The county of Fairfax health officials tried to talk him into entering a detox program but he refused. What we can do at this late time is to remember him in this post mortem salute to a man who slipped once, fatally. In this season of giving and forgiving, let’s remind ourselves of those around us who are less fortunate, those who make mistakes that become irreparable stages of their lives. You never know when a good word, a handshake, a smile or a bowl of soup are going to make someone’s day better. Let’s spend a moment of remembrance, in memory of the seen and unseen John Doe’s around us.