Since 1989, the Comfort House in McAllen has provided hospice care for the terminally ill in the Rio Grande Valley.
The nonprofit organization is staffed by individuals who provide ’round-the-clock care and work with family members to bring comfort to the residents there.
But a fire in February forced Comfort House to adapt while still providing services, affecting their chapel which was transformed into a makeshift storage room, and the lobby was converted to function as the administrative office which is filled with files and binders.
Maria Louisa Bolanos, a caregiver, chats with a patient and feeds a terminally ill patient named Maria at the Comfort House on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])Marlene Benavidez, a caregiver at Comfort House tenderly holds Herminia Tristan’s, 79, hand and asks her about her beautiful manicure Thursday, May 25, 2023, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])Matty Alonzo caresses her mother Herminia’s forehead during visiting hours at the Comfort House on Monday, May 29, 2023, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])The husband of Maria is seen during his visit with his wife at the Comfort House Thursday, May 25, 2023, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])San Juanita sleeps during her stay at Comfort House on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in McAllen. San Juanita has cancer of the stomach. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])Maria Louisa Bolanos talks tenderly to Maria during lunch time at Comfort House on May 25, 2023, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])Edith Guel, a caregiver, left, comforts Richard Lawler, right, during his stay at Comfort House on Friday, June 2, 2023, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])Comfort House’s mission statement Monday, May 29, 2023, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])Comfort House, which opened 1989, seen May 26, 2023, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])A patient at Comfort House sleeps during visiting hours Thursday, May 25, 2023, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])Sister Marian Strohmeyer was active in healthcare ministries and hands-on advocacy for refugees. Upon her arrival to the Rio Grande Valley, she lived on her family’s homestead to care for her ailing father. During that time, she started a clinic for low-income persons, which became Su Clinica Familiar in Harlingen, which is still operating today. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])Herminia Tristan, 79, talks with her daughter, Matty Alonzo, during visiting hours at Comfort House on Monday, May 29, 2023 in McAllen. Tristan wanted to eat cabrito for dinner. (Delcia Lopez/[email protected])
