Devotion, Dependency Bind Pair Left in Hospital Lobby

NEW YORK — Three days ago a man pushed an elderly woman in a wheelchair into the lobby of St. James Hospital in Newark, N.J. Neither could speak. Neither had identification.

He carried $100 in his pocket and a crude typewritten note with a misspelling that provided the only clue where they came from: “Savanna, Georgia.”

The note contained the medical histories of both people and a poignant promise:

“[He] caters to her every whim lovingly. Must never leave her side, will never leave her side. Should never leave her side. Doing so will prove detrimental to her well being and health.”

On Wednesday, a hospital spokesman said the pale, dark-haired man described in the note as “primary care giver: totally dedicated” was living up to that description, staying constantly with his charge, a woman with wispy white hair.

As the days have worn on, the mystery of who the couple were was deepened by another question: How did this example of selfless love find itself abandoned in a hospital lobby?

Late Wednesday, part of the mystery was solved.

Relatives identified the elderly woman as Lydia Espina and the man as her son, Jose Gomez, after seeing a report about the couple on television. The two had been living under 24-hour care in their home in Brooklyn, authorities were told.

“Somehow they disappeared and turned up at our door,” said hospital spokesman Joseph M. Orlando. “We’re hoping we’ll make some sense of it in a little while.”

The New York City Human Resources Administration, which had contracted with a provider to care for the couple, was launching an investigation, spokeswoman Renelda Higgins said. She would not identify the home care provider.

Orlando said Gomez and Espina would remain at the hospital at least through today.

“It was the most heartbreaking thing in the world,” Orlando said earlier Wednesday of the couple’s devotion. “It is so painfully obvious that he takes good care of her.”

The man--described in the note as “45-plus male-mute”--made gestures indicating they were thrown out of somewhere, and had indicated the woman was his mother.

“He pointed to her and pointed to him and made a cradle-like motion with his arms,” Orlando said. “He mouthed the word ‘mama.’

“This is a story of extraordinary dedication,” said the hospital’s director of public relations. “She certainly does not seem to be abused and neglected.

“He doesn’t write. He is starting to be able to sign with gestures and some form of sign language. It is not the traditional sign language,” Orlando said.

“We have people trying with the sign language, pointing to them, pointing to the television. He motions she needs her medication by making a drinking-like motion. Other than that, communication is almost nonexistent.”

“He is a charming guy,” Orlando added. “He has been very warm. He has been walking around hugging us.”

Newark police had launched a missing-person investigation. Detectives at the hospital took pictures and fingerprints of both people. The search ended when the relatives called in.

Hospital officials believe the man and woman may have been left at the hospital about 8 p.m. on Sunday. They were well-dressed and carried two plastic bags holding prescription medicine plus grapes and raisins.

At times, the man fed the woman the grapes and helped her to chew.

Making identification even harder, part of the label on the vial containing Dilantin, the woman’s anti-seizure medication, was destroyed. So were the markings on her wheelchair, including the name of the vendor, which could have helped police.

The note described the woman as suffering from hypertension and incontinence, and said she had an old left wrist fracture.

“Totally dependent! Handle with care,” the instructions said.

The note went on to describe the care-giver’s duties.

“Baths her. Feeds her. Turns her every two hours and massages her,” it said.

Orlando said the woman, who managed to mumble a few incomprehensible words, was very sedated but her condition was stable. He said she suffered not only from seizures, but from hyperglycemia--abnormally high blood sugar.

“Now, we will have a happy ending,” he said Wednesday night. “We’ll get them back where they belong.”