Patti Bowman~Long Beach

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Pathways Offered Comfort For Woman Battling Lupus

For a decade, Patti Bowman’s battle against lupus kept her bedridden — but not without hope and support.

When her disease became debilitating, she said she found a shoulder to lean on through Pathways Volunteer Hospice founding member Pat Hunter. A volunteer caregiver for the nonprofit organization, Hunter assisted Bowman during what she called one of the most challenging times of her life.

“You’re looking at four walls all the time, and family and friends are busy with their lives,” said Bowman, who is now in remission. “I knew I could count on her every Thursday morning, even when I was in the hospital.

“It was nice to have her come and say to my family and friends that they could get out for an hour or two. Even people who want to be there for you get burnt out.”

A Bellflower resident who grew up in Long Beach, Bowman said she heard about Pathways through her church. Hunter, she said, helped her deal with depression and three close family members’ deaths during her battle against the disease. Now that she’s able to walk, Bowman said she wants to help others the same way.

“I knew I wanted to give back to the program,” Bowman said. “I knew I could count on her each week — the support was invaluable.”

Pathways started out at Lakewood Regional Medical Center in 1985 as a community outreach dedicated to enhancing the lives of terminally ill patients. Two years later, it grew into a nonprofit organization, offering hospice, caregiver and bereavement support to bedridden patients and their friends and families.

“Pathways shows compassion and dignity for the in-between phases of life and for family and friends afterwards,” Bowman said. “Some people would be completely alone. You feel like the (volunteers) have you completely in mind. They let you talk about how you feel with things that are going on.”

Bowman knew immediately where she would take her first steps, she said, after praying for health and becoming well enough to leave her bed. Walker in hand, she stepped into the Pathways office on South Street and asked the staff how she could get involved.

“There are a lot of people out there already (who are supporting) friends and family,” she said. “Volunteers become the friends and family — they reach out in a greater way.”

The organization welcomed her like a family would, she said, and offered her the opportunity to be a “friendly phoner,” a volunteer who assesses the needs of Pathways clients. She also helps with office work.

“Volunteer commitment can be very small to very big,” she said. “There’s a place for all different gifts in the community. You get more back than what you give.”

While Bowman can’t predict if she will have another debilitating episode caused by lupus, she said she will remain a volunteer at Pathways as long as she can.

“I enjoy each day to the fullest,” she said. “I never know when it could be taken from me again.”

Volunteers number about 100 and offer friendship, transportation, housekeeping, pain management and other kinds of help to patients throughout Long Beach and nearby cities. Support groups, follow-up, and counseling are available at no cost to patients and their friends and families.

“It’s very reliable,” Bowman said. “The office staff keeps in touch, so that if there’s something else that can be provided, clients have the backup of the whole Pathways community.”

Sponsors, grants and fundraisers support the organization’s services.

To find out more about Pathways Volunteer Hospice, at 3300 South St. (suite 206), call 531-3031 or visit www.pathwayshospice.org.