Sdiver
12-24-2015, 21:21
If you ever traveled through Ft. Hood, you know this amazing woman.
Fort Hood’s Beloved "Hug Lady" Dies On Christmas Eve
KILLEEN (December 24, 2015) Fort Hood’s beloved “Hug Lady,” Elizabeth Laird, who hugged hundreds of thousands soldiers as they headed out on or returned from deployments, died on Christmas Eve at Metroplex Hospital in Killeen.
Funeral arrangements were pending Thursday at Crawford Bowers Funeral Home.
Laird, who would have turned 84 next month, vowed to greet every Fort Hood soldier who returned from deployment with a hug, battled breast cancer for 10 years.
She refused chemotherapy and radiation, opting instead for natural treatments, her son said.
In November she was moved into the intensive care unit of Metroplex Hospital in Killeen after developing tachycardia, an abnormally fast heartbeat.
Her condition improved, and earlier this month she was transferred to the Rosewood Nursing and Rehab Center in Killeen.
“Her voice is getting stronger, but she needs to learn to walk again. We are hoping rehab will help her obtain this goal,” her son wrote earlier this month in an update on a GoFundMe page established to raise money for Laird’s care.
The GoFundMe account, which had a goal of $10,000, generated nearly $95,000 from more than 3,000 people over the course of just one month.
Many were soldiers, such as the staff sergeant, who wrote, “I deployed three times and this nice woman greeted me each time. I looked forward to those hugs lol. Get well soon mama.”
But others were not, including a woman whose son didn’t come home.
“Thank you for hugging my son Matt,” she wrote.
“It is more than likely the last hug he got when he left Fort Hood because he didn't return from Afghanistan. Thank you again and please get well!”
Another was an Army wife, who wrote simply, “Thank you for all the hugs you gave my husband when my children and I weren't there to. You are in our family’s prayers!!”
A soldier who left her young daughter behind, posted a touching message.
"I love her, I deployed teary eyed and scared (secretly) worried my almost two year old daughter would forget me, she whispered in my ear that everything would be OK, it meant the world to me. I wish I had millions to give her."
By some estimates Laird over the past 12 years hugged more than half-a-million returning troops, which was her way of saying thank you.
She said it was important to her that the returning soldiers knew that there was someone at home who was interested in them and who cared about them.
Former President George W. Bush was among those who expressed thanks and well wishes to Laird while she was hospitalized.
In a letter, Bush expressed thanks for her dedication to soldiers, an estimated 500,000 of whom received hugs from her over the past 12 years.
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Fort-Hoods-Beloved-Hug-Lady-Dies-On-Christmas-Eve-363496881.html
Fort Hood’s Beloved "Hug Lady" Dies On Christmas Eve
KILLEEN (December 24, 2015) Fort Hood’s beloved “Hug Lady,” Elizabeth Laird, who hugged hundreds of thousands soldiers as they headed out on or returned from deployments, died on Christmas Eve at Metroplex Hospital in Killeen.
Funeral arrangements were pending Thursday at Crawford Bowers Funeral Home.
Laird, who would have turned 84 next month, vowed to greet every Fort Hood soldier who returned from deployment with a hug, battled breast cancer for 10 years.
She refused chemotherapy and radiation, opting instead for natural treatments, her son said.
In November she was moved into the intensive care unit of Metroplex Hospital in Killeen after developing tachycardia, an abnormally fast heartbeat.
Her condition improved, and earlier this month she was transferred to the Rosewood Nursing and Rehab Center in Killeen.
“Her voice is getting stronger, but she needs to learn to walk again. We are hoping rehab will help her obtain this goal,” her son wrote earlier this month in an update on a GoFundMe page established to raise money for Laird’s care.
The GoFundMe account, which had a goal of $10,000, generated nearly $95,000 from more than 3,000 people over the course of just one month.
Many were soldiers, such as the staff sergeant, who wrote, “I deployed three times and this nice woman greeted me each time. I looked forward to those hugs lol. Get well soon mama.”
But others were not, including a woman whose son didn’t come home.
“Thank you for hugging my son Matt,” she wrote.
“It is more than likely the last hug he got when he left Fort Hood because he didn't return from Afghanistan. Thank you again and please get well!”
Another was an Army wife, who wrote simply, “Thank you for all the hugs you gave my husband when my children and I weren't there to. You are in our family’s prayers!!”
A soldier who left her young daughter behind, posted a touching message.
"I love her, I deployed teary eyed and scared (secretly) worried my almost two year old daughter would forget me, she whispered in my ear that everything would be OK, it meant the world to me. I wish I had millions to give her."
By some estimates Laird over the past 12 years hugged more than half-a-million returning troops, which was her way of saying thank you.
She said it was important to her that the returning soldiers knew that there was someone at home who was interested in them and who cared about them.
Former President George W. Bush was among those who expressed thanks and well wishes to Laird while she was hospitalized.
In a letter, Bush expressed thanks for her dedication to soldiers, an estimated 500,000 of whom received hugs from her over the past 12 years.
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Fort-Hoods-Beloved-Hug-Lady-Dies-On-Christmas-Eve-363496881.html