Mary Poncin brought hope to so many

Sandra Coletta
Posted 10/8/15

On behalf of Kent Hospital, I would like to thank you for the article you ran a number of years ago about a senior citizen who lost her job at Sam’s Club and was trying to find work so she could …

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Mary Poncin brought hope to so many

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On behalf of Kent Hospital, I would like to thank you for the article you ran a number of years ago about a senior citizen who lost her job at Sam’s Club and was trying to find work so she could continue to live in her home and take care of herself. It was newsworthy of course, because this woman was in her late 90s.

From that time until just a few weeks ago, Mary Poncin worked as a greeter for Kent Hospital. She stood each day at our main entrance greeting employees, visitors and patients. Although we provided a place for her to sit, Mary stood and in her own special way brought a smile to the faces of all those who had the privilege of meeting her. When I think of Mary, the first word that comes to my mind is hope. The people who walk through the front door of our hospital carry with them challenges, worries and fear. Mary embodied the hope that we can surmount our challenges, fight through the worry and conquer our fears.

On Oct. 5, 2015, this wonderful woman whose life spanned more than a century, passed. I was lucky to see Mary three times in the last few weeks while she was ill. The first was on Sept. 22 with Patch Adams, MD, while he was visiting the state. He came to visit patients at Kent and a small group accompanied him. Dressed in full clown attire, Patch visited Mary and sat on the side of her bed, holding her hand and singing softly to her. Those who were accompanying Patch stood a distance away, watching with awe the compassion and comfort that was exchanged between him and Mary. A few days later, I stopped to visit Mary and we had a nice chat. When I commented on how beautiful her fingernails were, she advised me to take calcium as she had done since the age of 35! She also shared an experience she had when she was younger (mid-70s) in which her leg was broken and didn’t set properly, requiring the surgeon to re-break it and start over – this from a woman who was still working and standing on the job. The night after that visit, Mary took a turn for the worse. The last time I saw her was through a window in the ICU, her son sitting at her bedside. I didn’t enter the room, as these last days were the time for Mary to be with her immediate family.

Mary’s Kent family will miss her terribly and are grateful for having had the opportunity to know her and learn from her.

Sandra Coletta is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Care New England and past president of Kent Hospital.

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