|
(mods please note: this isn't copied content - I wrote this)
Gerald "Jerry" R. Reneau, RNP (Feb 9, 1939 - May 17, 2006)
Jerry touched so many lives in positive ways. He is sorely missed.
The only son of a Cherokee mother and French-American father, Gerald Reneau was born February 9, 1939 in Florida and grew up in the beautiful area around Savannah Georgia. His early interest in Medicine began when he was in the Army and received medical training.
Jerry fell in love with New York City as so many of us did and moved here for good in the early 1960s. He met his long time partner, Roger here and soon shared a home with him. Jerry was a veteran of the Stonewall Rebellion and was in streets during those tumultuous nights in late June of 1969. He consistently confronted any person, business or institution which sought to treat him or others like second class citizens. He helped advance the struggle for rights by being "out" while being an honest and upstanding person. As a nurse, he was known to tell patients about his orientation upfront and then tell them they could request someone else if they had a problem with it. By being the only "out" gay person that many straight people knew, and being a person of high integrity and humanity, he erased any negative stereotypes they may have harboured.
In the mid-1970s, Jerry ran his own flower shop on Amsterdam Avenue in the space where Gotham Gardens is now. He had many stories about his daily early morning trips to the then bustling Plant District and then around to service on-going clients with flower arrangements. A raise in rent forced him out. Jerry was also a bartender at Boot Hill and shared his jovial personality nightly.
He attended nursing school and became a Registered Nurse, eventually rising to Registered Nurse Practitioner ("RNP"). This career suited him well as he sincerely wanted to help people and provided his easy manner and sympathetic ear in addition to top notch health care. He was a resident nurse at Lenox Hill Hospital for many years and later performed home care for post-operative patients. He was very well liked by patients and provided preliminary diagnoses and advice to friends and neighbours alike.
When Jerry was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, he gave up cigarettes and alcohol and consistently worked to control his blood sugar. He faced the challenge that diabetes presented like he faced so many other challenges; with knowledge and steadfast determination. In the past couple of years, circulation problems in his legs kept him from the work he loved since he lacked the stamina to travel between the homes of patients. He counselled other diabetics and spent his last days lobbying for the frustratingly complicated new Medicare system to pay for insulin pens which are far easier to use than standard syringes. The day before he passed, we received word that the coverage providers had changed their position and would begin reimbursing patients who wanted to use the insulin pen. This help for fellow diabetics will now be part of Jerry's legacy.
Outside of work, Jerry loved animals, especially cats and had 2 finicky Persians. One of his favourite stories was about sleeping outdoors in a hammock in Woodstock NY. He was awakened by 2 wild deer curiously investigating him with their faces practically touching his. He also loved horses and the timeless beauty of Saratoga and the Lake George area.
I hope you will join me in honouring Jerry's life and legacy. He lived the life he wanted to live -- a life full of caring for and helping others. He would be embarrassed if we gave him a collective well-deserved "Thank You!" and he would be angry if we shed too many tears over his life which was so well spent.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
