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Heart-wrenching story of cancer-stricken 'Hug Lady' receiving amazing gift from thousands of grateful servicemen
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Eighty-three-year-old Elizabeth Laird is known as the "hug lady" in her home of Fort Hood, Texas. She is best known for hugging hundreds of thousands of soldiers preparing to deploy. Today, Laird fights the spread of cancer as thousands of service men and women queue outside her hospital room to offer her the gift of a hug.
Highlights
CALIFORNIA NETWORK (https://www.youtube.com/c/californianetwork)
11/12/2015 (8 years ago)
Published in Marriage & Family
Keywords: Elizabeth Laird, hug, Fort Hood, soldiers, Army, Iraq, war, breast cancer, bones, Richard Dewees
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Laird is estimated to have given 500,000 hugs to servicemen and women preparing to deploy to the Middle East between 2003 and 2015.
Laird's son, Richard Dewees, said, "When our troops started going out of here she went down and started hugging troops. Initially it was a handshake but somebody wanted a hug and that started the 'hug' part." When soldiers did not return from the war, Laird could be found hugging the grieving friends and family. Retired Army Captain Caren Adkins said, "The hug lady was very inspirational in my first deployment to Afghanistan. She touched my heart." Unfortunately, Laird is now suffering the effects of breast cancer, which has spread to her bones. She has decided to forgo chemotherapy and made the decision to pray for a full recovery. "I've had breast cancer since 2005," she told WFAA. "It has metastasized to my bones and my lungs."To repay the kindness Laird has shown over the past twelve years, soldiers have been queuing up outside her Metroplex Hospital room to offer well-wishes and hugs. Retired Army Staff Sergeant Edmond Clark entered Laird's hospital room, leaned toward her, and asked, "You mind if I hug and kiss you?" Laird's soft reply was simply, "please do," as she held our her thinning arms.
"I love you so much," Sgt. Clark told her through tears, "I just had to come and see you." Sgt. Clark later admitted he has been deployed to war three times, with Laird there to offer hugs every single time. She was also there to hug him when he returned.
Laird lost her husband and daughter seven years ago and remains close to her son, Dewees, who has created a GoFundMe account to help raise the necessary funds to pay for Laird's hospital stay. As of Thursday morning, $66,362 of a requested ten-thousand-dollar goal has been donated, with comments including, "I love her" and "If Ft Hood doesn't name the deployment center after her their [sic] wrong. Elizabeth Laird deployment center."
Laird's condition worsened and she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), but has since improved and was able to return to a normal room, where she continues to welcome visitors.
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