From Hospice to Homecoming: Tom Korn’s Remarkable Journey at Northgate
The Unsung Heroes
The clinical care was exceptional — but so was the warmth that came from every staff member who crossed their threshold.
Housekeeping staff labeled and laundered Tom’s clothes with pride. Maintenance workers came to the rescue when a phone cord broke, restoring Tom’s link to the outside world in under an hour. Two young men spent an entire afternoon searching for the perfect mattress replacement. They succeeded.
Mark remembers them all.
“These acts of compassion, both large and small, made our experience miraculous,” he says. “This was not a perfect patient. He had a husband who bought worry by the bucket. But no one ever made me feel like I was a burden.”
A Bit of Magic, a Lot of Love
After five months, Tom Korn is doing the unthinkable: he’s going home.
At 64 years old, he and Mark — together since June 1980, when they met through mutual friends in Niagara Falls — are returning to their home in Youngstown, NY, a community they’ve loved since returning to Western New York in 1996. They’ve shared life in Tennessee, Texas, and Rhode Island. But now, they’re coming home together, after what Mark can only describe as a miracle.
“We will spend the rest of our time reflecting on our good fortune — the good fortune that brought us to Northgate,” he says. “Tom’s recovery is due in part to prayer and a touch of magic. But in large part, we blame his recovery on the many acts of compassion and skilled care by the countless — not infinite — staff at Northgate.”
A Testament to What’s Possible
Tom’s story is not just about survival. It’s about the impact of being seen, heard, and cared for — even in the darkest of times. Northgate Health Care Facility and Niagara Hospice didn’t just help a patient heal. They gave two husbands their lives back.
As Tom “graduates” from the hospice unit, his story becomes a powerful reminder that where there is love and compassionate care, there is always room for hope.
Northgate Health Care Facility provides 24-hour skilled nursing care, post-acute rehabilitation, memory care and in-house dialysis. In 2012, the facility partnered with Niagara Hospice on the opening of a specialized unit devoted to meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of terminally ill residents requiring both 24-hour skilled nursing care and hospice services. The care on the unit is co-managed by both Northgate and Niagara Hospice and was the first of its kind in New York State when it opened more than a decade ago. To learn more, visit www.livinglegendshealth.com or call (716) 694-7700.
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