A high school automobile accident changed the direction of Doug Farnsler’s life forever.
“Doug spent three months in the hospital in a coma, before awakening to face a future of cognitive impairment and severe spasticity on one side. The love you bear in your heart doesn’t change, even though you can no longer meet your child’s needs,” affirms his father, Herb Farnsler.
Doug entered a succession of rehabilitation facilities, but disliked institutional life, and made it known that he wanted to live at home with his mother. However, the demands of caring for Doug were too much for one person, and Doug went to a nursing home for the elderly near his mother’s home in Chester, Virginia.
Fortunately, Doug was on the waiting list for The Virginia Home, and before long was able to enter The Home in 1985. “The Virginia Home was a miracle for Doug, who said ‘I love The Virginia Home.’ The staff is very caring, and stay for a long time; they don’t rotate in and out. That says a lot to me,” says Herb Farnsler.
“When I developed my will, I provided for each of my six children, and included a share for The Virginia Home. Many people find it possible to remember The Home while caring for family, too.”
“My legacy to The Home springs from a feeling of duty, and respect for what The Home has done for my son, Doug, who left this life in 2021, and what The Home meant to him.”
Herb Farnsler who has included The Virginia Home in his will, to honor those who’ve helped change his son’s life.