Thursday, August 12, 2021
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I was a fellow volunteer patient ambassador with Paul with the Boston Scientific Neuromodulation. We call patients who are interested in learning more about spinal cord stimulation and share our stories of how we regained our life after we had a spinal cord stimulator implant.
I remember meeting Paul in person the first time we were invited out to Valencia after many, many group conference calls. Nobody really knew each other that well but we all had an instant connection. I will always remember Paul's proud stories of his family, his help with veterans to get them the services they so deserved, and his quick and funny jokes he would tell with that smile on his face. Always a gentleman, he was there to help whomever needed it. I remember him driving Robin (our ambassador group leader) absolutely crazy at times because he might miss a flight enroute to Valencia and she had no idea where he was. The next thing you know, Paul was walking in the hotel with a big smile on his face like nothing ever happened. He also was not a big fan of cell phones and all the apps and things that come with them often citing that he was too old for that stuff (or he lead us all to believe that). But, on our last trip out to CA, we had some downtime and he had a room on the third floor with a walk-out balcony. I was two floors above him and was looking down on him from my open window in my room. There was Paul, sitting in the lounge chair with his phone on the balcony outside his room playing with his phone. I said hello from above and asked him what he was doing. He had a sheepish "Paul smile" on his face and answered, "playing solitaire". I joked with him that he was the one that always said he was older and didn't know how to use the apps on his phone. He laughed and looked up at me, knowing he got caught, and said "well, you don't have to let everyone know about my secrets." That was Paul.....a proud father, a proud veteran, a friend to all that met him, and a guy that wasn't afraid to speak up when asked his opinion on something. The other thing I remember about Paul is that everytime we went out to CA and stayed at the hotel for our conference, he would order bagel and lox for breakfast. It made him smile from ear to ear. The waiter even knew his name and what he liked year after year and never had to ask Paul what he wanted for breakfast each morning.
I loved that man as a fellow ambassador and friend. He touched my life in ways I will never forget and I already miss him.
Let's all keep the great memories of Paul alive in our hearts. Although I never met his family, I feel like I know them through his fond stories he shared with all of us. I'm praying for his family during this difficult time.
-Sandy Found
