Cancer patient staying optimistic despite a holiday in the hospital

BATON ROUGE – Over at Baton Rouge General, many patients are dealing with a hard reality this Christmas.

Many are spending the holiday from the confines of their patient room. For some like Joseph Hynes, its the sense of love and compassion that’s keeping them optimistic. 

“The past 24 days have been ups and downs,” Joseph’s wife, Elaine Hynes, said. 

It comes after a harsh diagnosis to her husband. Since then, he’s been receiving cancer treatments. 

Hynes must remain in the hospital during his chemo treatments because he is immunocompromised. He says receiving the initial diagnosis was never something he expected. 

“Three weeks before, I was on an alligator hunt. I was at the mouth of the Atchafalaya River.”

Still, he’s staying optimistic. 

“We’re gonna focus on what we can do, and we can be together.”

For the family’s young granddaughter, spending the holidays with her grandfather is incredibly important. 

Instead, the eight-year-old girl is making sure he gets the holiday celebration he deserves. She decorated his room in spirited, home-made ornaments and plans on spending some time with him Christmas day.

The love and support from family and staff, is what is getting him through the experience. 

“On a rough patch, I leaned into them and they leaned back, which has made a big difference,” Joseph said.