Imagine losing your memory and losing contact with your family.

The Veteran had no identification and suffered from dementia.

Whitehead had no memory of who to contact or reach out to for help. He was admitted into the Wilmington VA Community Living Center (CLC) for care. 

Wilmington VA CLC provides compassionate care to eligible Veterans with sufficient functional impairment, such as dementia, those requiring rehabilitation or short-term specialized services, or those who need comfort and care at the end of life.

Whitehead spent the last three years without any visitors from family or friends until CLC social worker, Justine Fogam made a call that changed everything.  Fogam reached out to Wilmington VA patient experience officer, Mark Taylor, on August 6, 2025, asking if he could assist in finding any family members for Mr. Whitehead, who hasn’t had a visitor in three years. 

Taylor, who grew up in a small neighborhood named Brookside in New Castle County, Delaware, thought he recognized Mr. Whiteheads name and believed there may be a connection to one of his old childhood friends named Ronald C. J. Whitehead, also known as “C.J.”. Taylor made a call, and found out Ronald E. Whitehead was C.J.’s estranged father who he hadn’t seen in years. 

“We thought he was dead, we didn’t know what happened to him, he was in and out of our lives, so not hearing from him for long periods of time wasn’t unusual,” said Ronald C.J. Whitehead. “He struggled with alcoholism which was hard on our family throughout the years.” 

C.J. was surprised to hear his dad was alive and living in Delaware. His younger sister Stacy Higgins hasn’t seen him since 2008. 

They were both eager to reunite with their father and C.J. was able to visit his dad in-person within two days of being notified he was being cared for at Wilmington VA CLC. 

When C.J. walked into the CLC visitor area, he pulled down his mask so his father could see his face. Mr. Whitehead looked up at his son and said, “C.J. you’re big!” He remembered C.J. after all those years. 

C.J. was able to have his dad video chat with his sister Stacy who lives in Florida. 

“My dad remembered me. I was looking for my dad for the last few years and couldn’t find him, I almost gave up hope,” said his daughter, Stacy Higgins. “It was miraculous that our old childhood neighbor was able to reconnect us.”

“Seeing the family reunite after all this time was emotional and the connection that was being made was heartwarming,” said Taylor. 

Mr. Whitehead served as a jet engine mechanic from June 1966 to April 1970 in the United States Air Force, serving overseas during Vietnam.

“On top of providing the best care for Mr. Whitehead, our amazing team reuniting a family just shows the level of care we provide from an approach we call Whole Health,” said Vamsee Potluri, Wilmington VA Medical Center Director. “We are currently working to see if Mr. Whitehead qualifies for any additional benefits under the PACT Act.”

C.J. and Stacy plan on visiting often and build a relationship with their dad.