Victim of a Crime, Hope Center Resident Gets a New Look on Life

Because of the parents he loved, 63-year-old Philippine-American Alexander Reyes acquired an American passport back in 2001. He credits his late father, an American citizen, with that as a gift because of his love of America. Mr. Reyes, who is from a family of seven, is a single man who made America his home, and later, he applied for dual citizenship to be both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the Philippines.

Alexander Reyes is a professional with a college degree from the Philippines, and in the United States, he has worked in many hands-on professions, from housekeeping and gardening to running a doctor's office as an office manager in and around the New York City region and New Jersey. He often travels back to the Philippines for vacation, which he has been doing for almost ten years. Even though he is single, his siblings have families, so he would see them when vacationing in Manila. Reyes is genuine; he has a big heart and a knack for being friendly, but often he feels alone and misses his parents, who he has lost in recent years.

In 2018, while living in his Queen apartment and employed, Mr. Reyes took a vacation back home to the Philippines when he was working for a doctor in a family-run business, a doctor who unfortunately was stricken with cancer. When he returned to the States, he learned the doctor had died, so Mr. Reyes’ time of employment there had ended. This was the winter of 2018-2019, so finding new employment at that time would be a struggle, so he decided to go back to The Philippines and work there. The doctor’s office helped out by buying Alexander a plane ticket.

In April of 2021, before flying back, Mr. Reyes also decided to get his social security benefits for more money to live. He sought the nearest social security office and learned it was in Jamaica, Queens. Equipped with everything he had, including his passport and a large sum of money, Mr. Reyes took the train from his Jackson Heights apartment to Jamaica but still needed to walk to get to that office. Alexander wasn't sure where the office was and felt he needed to ask people if they knew. This is when his life took a turn. When he began asking people how he would get to the Social Security office, he was approached by three men who offered to take him there. At first, they seem friendly and willing to help, but they had other plans for their new victim. On the ride, they attacked and viciously beat Alexander unconsciously, hitting him in the head and robbing him of everything he had, sadly a perfect target for such a crime.

Two days later, Alexander awoke at Bellevue Hospital in Queens, where he learned that a nurse had found him and brought him in. The hospital told him that even after the assault, the CT scan found no head injuries, but Mr. Reyes soon learned that he could not walk. After some time, the doctors decided that he could benefit from therapy. While at Bellevue Hospital, it was also discovered after several blood tests that Mr. Reyes had HIV. Doctors there put him on medication, and later, a huge relief came when Alexander learned his HIV was under control.

Alexander Reyes was brought to Hope Center, the intimate 66-bed skilled nursing facility on University Avenue in the West Bronx, in September 2023, where he was wheelchair-bound and fragile. Like at the hospitals, he knew no one, and due to a combination of being alone and the altercation he suffered, he was withdrawn from the staff and fellow residents. He trusted no one, but the Hope Center staff soon reassured him that they would be there for him every step of his recovery. Two people he began to trust were Registered Nurse Kimisha Hamilton and Therapist Abejero Paola, and they are still with him today, well into his journey.

“Mr. Reyes is such a wholesome, loving, and caring person, and seeing something like this happen to someone like that breaks your heart,” said Rosalyn Valey, Director of Admissions at Hope Center. “When he came in, he couldn’t walk and was understandably withdrawn from people. Our therapists, nurses, and other staff members have been here to help him with his new outlook on life, both mentally and physically. Mr. Reyes did need a friend, though, and both Kimisha and Abejero were and are still there for him.”

In addition to Nurse Hamilton and Abejero, who helped him immensely to bring him out in the open, other Hope Center staff, both clinical and non-clinical, from management to housekeeping, started to connect with Alexander, and each day, people could see a once withdrawn caring man who only wanted the good things in life, began to smile. Physically, he went from his wheelchair to a walker and a cane, and many times, he could exercise without these aids, but he uses his cane today to keep his balance and prevent any falls. He has also enjoyed the activities the facility does daily and the many outings and arts-and-crafts. Mr. Reyes finds that also very therapeutic.

“Even though Hope Center is geared towards people with HIV and drug addiction, our facility helps so many people from all different walks of life,” said Sammy Weingarten, Administrator at Hope Center. “With Alexander, yes, his HIV is thankfully controlled, but between Kim and Krishna in Rehabilitation and our nurses, Mr. Reyes has been able to trust people again, and he knows that we are here for him always.”

Alexander knows now that he doesn’t have to be alone on this journey and that there is real goodness in people, and he highly credits Hope Center.

“All the staff here are taking good care of me,” said Mr. Reyes. “I can’t say anything bad, and without them, maybe I’m dead. In one month, I was able to use my walker, and then the next month, I transferred to a cane. I now walk without the cane once in a while, but I’m still afraid that I will get dizzy and fall, but they (Hope Center staff) are here for me.”

His goal is to return to The Philippines with his new lease on life, but he says he will never forget what Hope Center has done for him, and that is something that Mr. Weingartner not only credits his staff for doing their job but always goes above what his asked of them. Proudly, he knows by talking to his staff about Alexander Reyes, the care they provided came naturally.

"It warms my heart to know and see first-hand what Kimisha and Abejero did for Mr. Reyes in his time of mental and physical need," said Weingarten. "There is something to be said when hard-working staff can also take their care to the next level, which is human and natural. We are also so proud of what Alexander has accomplished, and we hope for the best for him when he leaves here and goes back to his family in the Philippines."