40 for 40: John Lloyd Carter’s Story

I arrive at the Capital Caring Falls Church office to make a financial donation that I know will be put to good use. I leave this letter behind in the hopes that all can read this and know that in the moments that really matter, you and the care you provide translate into some of the best moments a person will come across in a lifetime.

I say this because you cared for my father, John Lloyd Carter, who died in April, 2016. Born and raised in Arlington, he was a life-long resident of Northern Virginia, eventually settling in Fairfax City. He remained a quiet, hardworking man who kept his own counsel. Diagnosed with brain cancer at 82 years of age, he never flinched, only telling the doctors, my brothers, and me that he “…wanted to go home.” There wasn’t going to be any alternative.

Having no idea what to expect given the diagnosis, only that we were going to do whatever it took, for as long as it would take, we settled in to making it happen. I won’t lie:  we read all the scenarios we could find and wondered just how we were going to undertake something like this on our own.

And the first thing we realized was that we were not alone.

Capital Caring, at every step of the way, assisted us in seeing to our father’s well-being. He was at home, surrounded by his grandchildren when he felt up to it, and comfortable in his own thoughts during times of reflection. We too spent our final days with our father in a setting that promoted an easy, familiar relationship that I’m not sure would have been possible in any other situation. Our gratitude to you is immeasurable.