Editor, The News:

I wish to affirm the letter from Mr. James Breckenridge regarding the deplorable and callous treatment meted out to a homeless person called Kevin (The News, July 15).

On June 28, I spent five hours in an emergency room hallway waiting for my husband to be seen by a doctor. I witnessed first-hand the indifferent way this very, very ill person was treated. It disturbed me greatly.

It was clear that the emergency room staff had dealt with Kevin often and knew him well. He was sent away twice in the time I was there, despite his obvious extreme difficulty breathing.

At some later time, he was admitted to ward Two West, where my husband was also admitted. Once on the ward, he seemed to get the care and kindness to be expected by a patient and it seemed like he was made as comfortable as possible in his final days.

I wish to let Mr. Breckenridge know that Kevin’s death has had a profound effect on both me and my husband, and we won’t soon forget what happened to a fellow human being in desperate need of help.

Marilyn Kozak

The original letter about Kevin is below.