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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1998)
aprii 17.1998 » • ,,, ,:x-: ■: . pound-adopted canines: Duke, a black cocker spaniel, and Buffalo Marie, part poodle and part Maltese. “Those were their original names,” laughs Hancock, adding that while the moniker Duke is cool, Buffalo Marie has mercifully been altered to simply Buffy. Last July, Hancock and Reed held a com mitment ceremony attended by 100 friends, 95 of whom, says Hancock, had some association with Our House. “This has been my family,” says Hancock, savoring his new lease on life. (H e’ll turn 43 on May 27.) “I don’t know what will happen down the road, but I’m so grate ful for the time I have now,” he adds. Such is the feeling one hears from many Our House associ ates— from volunteers Judith Rizzio (left) laughs with Bill Hancock (right) and volunteer cook Lisa Benson, who makes great pies to staff to residents. “The thing about Our House is that it does His way included a heavy holistic health They’ll advise you to experience the moment regimen— from copious massages and acupunc n’t matter where you come from or who you you have right now and glean some clarity are,” he tells Just Out. “They’ll take care of you, ture appointments, to aroma and gemstone about what truly counts. and let you take care of yourself.” therapies, to eating an organic-oriented diet, to With heady concepts like Death, Life and meditation. Survival spinning around, it’s easy to get ver time, a tradition has developed at A t the time, he also began taking a drug bogged down with clichés. But many Our Our House in which residents who have cocktail, which his body responded to quite House folks will tell you, with death before well. your eyes, the importance of life’s more extra Today Ruiz neous trappings— automobiles, ostentatious lives on his own, jewelry, personal grudges— tends to shrivel up coincidentally just to make room for resolve. a few blocks from Our House, and is lbert Ruiz used to be a high-end hairdress attending the er based in Salt Lake City, charging $175 East-West College per consultation. of the Healing “There would be a three-to-six-month wait Arts on Southeast ing list,” says Ruiz, a zesty fellow of 35— though Belmont Street. he’ll tell you he looks 17 and feels 18. His new pro It definitely was a faster-paced, more extro fessional goal? To verted life than the one he’s currently living. become a massage Ruiz says the death of his partner, combined therapist. with his interest in alternative health care and “A ID S has his personal knowledge that he, too, would helped me as a likely be getting sicker, prompted him to move person in terms of to Portland, one of the country’s holistic health my self-discovery,” care hubs. says Ruiz. “I feel Ruiz did indeed get sicker, and came to Our like I chose this House last October as a resident weighing a disease to help me mere 83 pounds. become more “I had wasting syndrome. People thought I aware, more was going to die,” he says. enlightened.” Ruiz, however, was thinking otherwise. "I These days, said I was going to be out of there in 12 weeks,” one may find Ruiz he says, stressing he meant out of there alive. popping into Our With Our House’s support, Ruiz cleared that House to cut resi self-imposed deadline— in January, he was out. dents’ hair (for “I’m a very determined person," he says. “I free) or to simply wanted to do things certain ways, and the peo chat Longtime O ur House resident Henry gets an acupuncture treatment from Lisa ple at Our House let me.” died during the year are remembered by the placement of a white rose in a vase. According to Judith Rizzio, Our House’s director of public relations and program develop ment, in 1995 there were 63 white roses. This year there are 15 white roses and, for the first time ever, red roses to signify resi dents who have m an aged to get well enough to leave. There are five such red roses. Still, Our House’s beds are consistently full. “Our House has seen many changes over the last 10 years,” says Allyson Jenkins, the facility’s executive director. “Initially it provided a place where people in the final stages of A ID S disease could live the remainder of their lives in a safe, caring environment and die with dignity." She adds, “Although this still applies, what we’re seeing is a change in the disease resulting from new drug treatment that is producing long-term survivors. A s a result, Our House is evolving to meet not only the needs of the O Continued on page 23 A Clark
