Southern Indiana couple using RV to house ER doctor during pandemic

LANESVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) — Shelly and Milton Trent knew they had a chance to make a difference when they discovered the name Nick Passafiume nearly a month ago.

Passafiume, the head of an emergency room at an Indiana hospital, is at risk of exposure to the coronavirus every day. He needed a place to stay, to protect his family from COVID-19, and was put in touch with the Trent family during a search for temporary housing.

The connection is all thanks to a Facebook page called RVs 4 Mds To Fight The Corona Virus. The Trents, who are RV owners, found the page and reached out to the doctor in need. They'd later tell him he could stay in their RV free of charge.

"We told him about having electricity and water, and everything was going to be hooked up," Shelly Trent said. "He started to cry ... he got very emotional about it. He said, 'I can't believe a total stranger would do this.'"

It's been almost a month since Passafiume moved into the big RV that sits in the Trents' backyard. Occasionally, he'll sit on the back porch and have a socially distant dinner with Shelly and Milton.

Every interaction and "thank you" from the doctor reminds the Trents that they are making a difference.

"He needed a way to be isolated from his family to protect them," Shelly Trent said. "So why not. It's easy for us to do. The RV was just in storage, so why not?"

RV owner or not, there are plenty of ways to make a difference during the pandemic, the Trents say. The couple hopes their service will send a message to anyone who wants to serve others during this difficult time.

"If you can help, help," Milton Trent said. "Don't think twice about it. Just do it."