Army veteran seeks phone calls and texts as dying wish

An Army veteran with a terminal illness has a simple request as his dying wish: to hear from people via phone call and text message.

Lee Hernandez is an 18-year Army veteran who is under home hospice care in New Braunfels, Texas. The 47-year-old has had three brain surgeries, but doctors have not been able to find the cause for his illness.

One day, Lee asked his wife, Ernestine Hernandez, to hold onto his phone, "in case someone calls." When nobody called after two hours, Lee told Ernestine, "I guess no one wants to talk to me."

"It broke my heart," Ernestine told AZCentral.com. "(Lee's)speech is not very well, so many people didn't take much interest or want to talk to him."

Ernestine reached out to Caregivers of Wounded Warriors to share his request. After Lee's story was shared on Facebook on the Arizona Veterans Forum, he has received an influx of calls and texts.

"A lot of people call to pray with him," Ernestine said. "It really uplifts him."

The Hernandez family can be reached at 210-632-6778. According to AZCentral.com, it's best to reach Lee between 2-6 pm central time. Sometimes the family won't be able to answer calls if Lee is in an incredible amount of pain at the time.

Ernestine said, "The experience is very painful, but I wouldn't have it any other way."