Doctors told Winston Yuzon in June that he was dying and his faulty heart would only last about six months. Yuzon hopes he’ll live long enough to see Christmas.
The former postal worker had his first heart attack late last year, the result he says of drug addiction and ventricular tachycardia, a heart condition that has long plagued others in his family.
The 60-year-old Yuzon was living out of his car in Las Vegas with nothing but a few pairs of extra clothes. He moved to the area from San Francisco in 2015 and was still grieving the death of his mother, who like him suffered from ventricular tachycardia. The condition causes fast, irregular heartbeats and, in some cases, cardiac arrest and death.
Yuzon’s doctors told him his heart would also eventually fail him. He had never been homeless before and was afraid to reach out to his brother, who at the time lived in Las Vegas.
“Every single day I prayed. I said, ‘Lord I know I’m dying so give me three things: For death to come swiftly and painless, not to die on the streets and not to die alone,’” he said.
His prayers were answered.
Yuzon was connected with Crossroads of Southern Nevada, a state licensed substance abuse prevention and treatment agency. The facility is meant to be 90-day transitional housing, but they’re making a special condition for Yuzon because of his short life expectancy, said CEO Kevin Morss.
Earlier this month, Clark County commissioners approved a four-year, $7.2 million contract with Crossroads to provide shelter and treatment for up to 25 more patients in need of mental health and detox care. Crossroads, which has a capacity of 181 patients, partners with Health Plan of Nevada to connect the facility with clients like Yuzon.
“The different clientele that comes in have different needs, so we’re trying to evolve our care to meet those needs,” Morss said. “We’re really looking at a holistic model here.”
The facility provides 24-hour care from doctors, psychiatrists and nurses. And for patients like Yuzon, it’s much more.
“Ever since I stepped into Crossroads of Southern Nevada, things go better,” Yuzon told commissioners. “What echoes around that building is the phrase, ‘I love you,’ and they mean it.”
Yuzon doesn’t pass anyone in the hallway at Crossroads without a handshake or a hug. He said he is beyond grateful for everyone who has helped him improve his quality of life in his final days.
Outside Yuzon’s room is a bulletin board with words of appreciation from friends, including photographs and colorful pieces of paper with kind words like, “You are my hero,” or “You’re a sensation, Winston.”
“It’s kind of a prememorial,” he said laughing.
Yuzon says he is at peace with his mortality, knowing that the “angel of death” will soon “snuff the living daylights out of me.” He wants to ensure his death will benefit someone else in need.
“We don’t always get to know our purpose in life. Now I know,” he said. “I want to leave my body here for someone to benefit it. My tissues, organs and eyes must go to somebody.”
Yuzon gives off an almost angelic quality as he sits on his white bed, in his white bedroom, dressed in a white dress shirt. He’s jubilant as he reflects on everything he’s accomplished over the past year. He doesn’t look like someone who is about to die.
Still, his doctors warned him not to not be too confident, and that his heart is still very weak.
“I don’t fear death,” he said. “There’s someone waiting for me, for my organs. I’ve lived a beautiful life.”