A U.S. Marine veteran who went from living on the streets to becoming an ER nurse in a Long Island hospital found inspiration to help homeless people in the coronavirus pandemic.
Antranik “Andy” Garabedian, 41, used his experience to start a charity for the homeless when he saw the virus take its toll on people on the street – saying he distributed nearly 1,500 miles across the five districts and Nassau County, Long Island since April.
“I always said I would do anything to help people who needed more help than me,” Garabedian told The Post. “I just did not know it would take a pandemic.”
Long Island’s landlord first knows about homelessness: He spent about three years on the streets in the early 2000s after receiving a medical discharge from the Marines.
Garabedian joined the Marine Corps. ‘values of “adapt, improvise, overcome” as he struggles to create his own way. He would even volunteer at food pantries and soup kitchens – without admitting he needed help.
“I could go there to steal food, and no one would know I was in need,” he said. “Embarrassment was probably the biggest thing … admitting I was not good.”
Eventually, Garabedian said, he knew he could not live as he was.
“I was at the end of my mind,” he said. The worst part “was knowing I did not really exist.”
‘I would walk down the street and tell myself,’ This has to be more than this. ‘It was overwhelming. I did not want to be homeless. ”
New Year’s Eve 2007 was cold and miserable on the streets of Smithtown, LI, and Garabedian said he expected him to end his life that night.
Then he accidentally stopped by the pastorate of the local Catholic church, St. Patrick’s.
The man who answered the door “could tell I was at the end of my sail, and he invited me inside,” Garabedian said.
A nun gave him a vegetable-cheese sandwich and a glass of milk, and the priest begged him for a pot that night.
Her kindness helped Garabedian figure out a way to apply at Suffolk County Community College and get back on his feet. He found his passion in nursing home.
At the height of New York’s coronavirus outbreak this past spring, the Long Island Jewish Valley Stream “slaughtered,” said Garabedian, a nurse there.
‘We were so overwhelmed. You did not even have the opportunity to breathe. ”
One day, Northwell Health Hospital’s ambulance saw 200 people, though it was built to treat a maximum of 60, he recalls. Garabedian said he once lost 10 patients in a span of 24 hours.
At least 40 of the COVID-19 patients he treated were homeless.
They told him that life on the streets was made rougher by the virus, without pan handling, few leftover food to take out of the trash and less room at shelters and soup kitchens. He asked what they were planning to do, and they told him, “Try not to die,” he said.
“It weighed on me,” Garabedian said. “I knew exactly what she was going through.”
After an intrusive visit to Midtown, where Garabedian gave protein bars, socks and other items he had in his car to a group of homeless people, he decided to give back on a larger scale.
He asked co-workers for help – and they donated $ 4,000 in just one week.
“People began to realize that we have become so insensitive to what is going on around us, many of us feel very hopeless, that this is a way to get salvation,” Garabedian said.
“It’s about trying to give people a sense of community, making them feel like they belong.”
The health care hero used the cash to buy sandwiches and meals from local restaurants – and supported them in the midst of the pandemic – and then donated the food to homeless people. He purchased the packages with items purchased with his own money.
“Setting myself up makes me doubly good,” Garabedian said.
With the help of another nurse, Dawna Scheich, and the support of the hospital administration, he was able to register his charity – Aggregate Hearts. He now works five days a week as a nurse and spends one day on prep for charity and one day on deliveries.
However, the do-gooder itself needs some help – such as building a website – and is no longer embarrassed to admit it.
‘It’s not just about me,’ he said, ‘it’s about us all making a sacrifice.’
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