Regular listeners to NPR are familiar with the concept of the Segment StoryCorps. The organization records thousands of conversations between family members and loved ones each year. Through the group’s StoryCorps Legacy program, the organization works with hospice organizations across the country, including Hinds Hospice in Fresno. In this story Art and Roze Wille interview each other about their son Hendrix who died from complications from leukemia.
ARTHUR WILLE: “Hendrix was born November 12, 2009. I just remember how big he was.”
ROZANNE WILLE: “Yeah, he was quite big nine pounds, twelve ounces.”
ARTHUR WILLE: “He had this this crawl where I think it was his right leg that he kind of swung it out to the side and then put his knee down on the ground and used that to kind of propel himself forward. And for some reason we called it the pirate crawl, kind of like he had a peg leg or something.”
ROZANNE WILLE: “Yeah, but he got really fast at it and he didn’t crawl for very long.”
ARTHUR WILLE: “Hendrix was two-and-a-half when he was diagnosed with leukemia. He lived another year plus. It’s taken us a long time to get to a place where we felt comfortable talking about him. I never would of thought that my son would’ve been my hero, but he was and he is.”
ROZANNE WILLE: “What are some of your favorite memories of him?”
ARTHUR WILLE: “After he relapsed and we were home we all decided to all sleep in the same bed. We put two queen sized beds together so that we could all fit. Just like in the hospital he was always right next to you. But one night I think he realized that I really wanted to hold him. And even though I’d asked him before, when I asked him this time he let me. How about you?”
ROZANNE WILLE: “We were gonna get ready to go to clinic and then he said, “Mom, will you dance with me? ” I looked down at him and I was thinking we are going to be late for clinic . . . and then I just said, “You know what, absolutely. I wanna dance.”
"We turned on the music and we danced our little hearts out and he stood on the couch and he spun me and he finally tired out. We started to walk towards his room and he put his little hand in mine. He looked up at me and just said, “Mom, I had a really good time.” And I had a really good time too.”
This piece was recorded in partnership between StoryCorps Legacy and Hinds Hospice, and produced by KVPR’s Ezra David Romero. StoryCorps is a national nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and share humanity's stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. StoryCorps Legacy supports the stories of people affected by serious illness. www.storycorps.org
