Local Man Volunteers 43,566 Hours Despite Health Challenges

In case you missed it, the St. Cloud Hospital - Centracare has recognized a local man who has logged in more volunteer hours than you can possibly imagine.

If you have watched KARE 11's feature on the Land of 10,000 stories, you have seen many inspiring stories brought to you by Boyd Huppert.  They are always awesome stories that will sometimes bring a tear to your eye, make you laugh, or just bring in a good feeling, which everyone needs from time to time.

This time the feature was on recognizing Ron Hemmesch.

Get our free mobile app

Ron has been a volunteer in the mailroom at the hospital for a number of years.  He has logged in 43,566 hours over 27 years.  Why so many?  There's definitely a reason for this.

Ron has a rare condition known as osteogenesis imperfecta.  Basically in simple terms it means that your bones are very brittle, and they break easily.  Hemmesch was a farmer, and had to quit that because of his condition, which brought him to the mailroom of the hospital where he has been volunteering.

“One time all I did was reach up for the tractor seat to get on the tractor, and the arm broke,” Ron said. “And a lot of times, they took the cast off in the morning and at night I had it back because I broke it again.”

A doctor finally convinced Ron that his farming days had to end. He suggested that Ron seek a low-impact, volunteer position at St. Cloud Hospital.

After 27 years, Ron Hemmesch has had to end his volunteering career as well.  The reason for this is the same reason that he had to leave farming.  His rare condition.  But, the hospital gave him a very gracious send off.  So many people came to support him, say how much they have enjoyed having him there and how much they appreciated him, as well as how much he will be missed.

“It turned out to be the best thing in my life,” Ron said. “I had a reason to get up in the morning; I had something to do, and then all the friends I made here. It just made my life complete.”

If you would like to see the whole story and video, check it out here on KARE 11.