Thoroughly Well-Loved: Tim’s Story

Tim Pierce always knew what his godmother Marsha Martin liked. A weekend trip to a Jersey mall, where she could stroll up and down the aisles of Macy’s. Yogurt and fruit, for her healthy snacks. Washing her own clothes, but eating Tim’s well-made dinners. Dreaming to the American blues of B.B. King. 

Marsha had been the best friend of Tim’s mother. He grew up thinking of Marsha as a friend, too, and when Tim’s mother passed away in 2011, Marsha became a second mother to him. Tim became, to her, like a son.  

Tim was there when Marsha’s husband died and left her with many financial pressures to work through. He was there when she needed help around the house — removing an old ramp, fixing broken things. He was there when she decided to finally buy a puppy she named after another favorite musician, Santana.  

When Marsha began to suffer a series of small strokes in 2018, Tim made certain that she saw one of the best neurologists in Philadelphia. As Marsha’s blood pressure began to rise, Tim talked to her about taking her medications and changing her diet, sat with her at a primary care doctor’s office, and took her to a top cardiologist.  

By now, Tim was living at Marsha’s house, taking care of Marsha as he once had taken care of his own mom. One night in December of 2021, Marsha went down to the basement to wash her clothes and never came back up, choosing to sleep on the floor instead — odd, Tim, thought, but he let it go. A few weeks later, Marsha stopped leaving her bed, wouldn’t use the bathroom, and refused to acknowledge that things were getting out of hand. She’d stay in that bed, watching the same old television shows on repeat.  

Tim needed help. He saw an online ad for Patina and called. 

Within a week, Patina primary care practitioner (PCP) Katie Maceyko, NP was at the door, carrying a medical bag “like some Transformer,” Tim said. Katie listened. She took Marsha’s vitals. She assessed the situation. She answered Tim’s questions about what was happening to his godmother – including dementia. Another Patina NP, Michelle Lu, also supported Marsha’s care. 

“Katie and Michelle did home visits regularly. It was amazing,” he says. “They had everything they needed with them.” 

Primary care – and so much more 

Within days, JaCarla Royall, a Patina Health Champion, had joined the team, becoming a lifeline to Tim as Marsha’s health rapidly declined. She helped him work through insurance issues and found home healthcare resources to relieve some of Tim’s multiplying caretaking responsibilities. 

The Patina team helped Tim understand what might be expected as Marsha’s dementia continued to progress. They introduced him to the Patina app, through which he asked many questions and scheduled appointments. Tim set up a camera in Marsha’s bedroom and sent, through the Patina app, photographs and videos of behavior he didn’t understand, boils he did not know how to treat, situations that became bewildering. Reliably, the Patina team was there — relieving the burden, answering questions, arranging for nurse’s aides who came a few days a week. Through video calls they’d check in with Marsha. 

“We shared a lot of messages through the app. You could send pictures to show how she was doing, which really helped me get through things,” recalls Tim. “It was a relief because it was a hard way to go – a terrible disease.”  

Marsha’s beloved pug and her cats were always nearby. And so, of course, was Tim. 

Partners in care 

Tim still fed and dressed Marsha. He still bathed and cleaned her. He still applied salves to protect her skin from rashes. But now, with Patina’s help, he had medical advice he could rely on, a PCP who would visit in the home or via video — no more long waits at the local primary care doctor, no more appointments that yielded few answers. He had instructions on things that were becoming increasingly important, like how to change Marsha’s sheets while she remained in bed. “I definitely couldn’t have figured that one out on my own,” he says.  

In fact, Tim would not have made it through the months to come without Patina. “I did a lot of crying,” this six-foot-six former high school basketball player says.​​“It was really hard. If it wasn't for Patina, I don’t know what I would have done.” 

In her final weeks, Marsha stopped eating. She would lie in her bed, her eyes tightly closed, refusing the sustenance Tim offered. The Patina team talked to Tim about what was to come. Tim, in his way, prepared Marsha. He played the music of B.B. King and Carlos Santana to accompany her final days.  

“I thought she would forget my name,” Tim says now, looking back and remembering. “But she never did. She knew who I was, until the end.”  

Today Tim, who drives for Lyft in the early hours, lives in the house he had once shared with Marsha — that pug Santana keeping Tim company along with a friendly pit bull and those cats. In the garage is the pond that this gentle athlete built — a 300-gallon stock tank that is home to a snapping turtle and a variety of fish.   

All of Tim’s animals are thriving today — well cared for and thoroughly well-loved. When he thinks back on Marsha, as he often does, he remembers Patina — friends in a time of great need.