Skip to contents
In This Issue:
Pauline Barnes says that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the hardest for her.
An admitting officer for BWH Obstetrics, Barnes last saw and hugged her son, Rashad Lesley-Barnes, at home on a Tuesday evening last August. She last spoke with him the following day while he was riding the bus to work at BWH.
Lesley-Barnes, a patient transporter for Central Transport Services (CTS), lost his life in a senseless act of violence on Aug. 15, 2012. In the days, weeks and months following his death, the BWH community and Dorchester community in which he lived have shared countless memories about the easy-going, hardworking, kind, respectful, basketball-loving friend, colleague, son and brother they all knew and loved.
Barnes and her daughter Tie’Asia Bennett-Barnes, a CTS patient transporter since last fall, continue to be anchored by the support they receive at BWH and around the city of Boston. From restaurants and supermarkets to salons and even Logan Airport, Barnes says that strangers are constantly asking her if she is Lesley-Barnes’ mother and sharing kind words about her son.
“I had no idea how many people knew my son,” said Barnes. “It is so meaningful to know he was loved by so many people and that he is not forgotten. I can’t say enough about the support we’ve received around the city and here at BWH. If I didn’t realize that the Brigham was a family before my son was killed, I certainly do now.”
To continue to honor Lesley-Barnes’ memory, Barnes and Bennett-Barnes are participating in the 17th annual Louis D. Brown Peace Institute walk, also known as the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace, on May 12 for the first time. The walk, which began in 1996, supports programs and services for families that have lost loved ones to violence. The Barnes’ team—named “I Love This Thing Called Life,” a quote of Lesley-Barnes—is one of several BWH teams walking this year and has a fundraising goal of $5,000.
The family is putting together a scholarship in Lesley-Barnes’ name for a student involved with the Tobin Community Center, where he played basketball as a child, to put toward books for college or tuition. Barnes and her daughter are also organizing a basketball team in his name and hope to donate the proceeds to the family of 8-year-old Boston Marathon victim, Martin Richard, who also lived in Dorchester.
“This is our way of thanking everyone and giving back,” said Barnes.
Added Bennett-Barnes: “We want to take something negative and turn it into a positive by bringing awareness to the violence that is still happening in our communities. It’s something that affects parts of our city. We need to support each other.”
17th Annual Louis D. Brown Peace Institute Walk
Sunday, May 12, 8:30 a.m.Town Field Park in Fields Corner, DorchesterBWH has several teams walking this year. To learn more, or join or support a team, visit: mothersdaywalk4peace.org
Comments
Email Address:
Subject:
Comment: {Please limit your charaters to 300}