The Giving Tree

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For the most part, the few encounters between Ben and Dennis were brief and routine: Dennis was dying of cancer and Ben was
his hospice nurse.

“You have to go through their medical history. You talk about every single part of their body systems and what they have issues with,” said Ben McMurray. “So I always try to add some extra questions that aren’t on the list to just make someone feel like I’m not just a robot sitting there.”

Nothing crazy — just small talk like, “What did you do for a living?”

Ben learned Dennis had spent his career studying the American chestnut. He’d been a researcher. That was pretty much the extent of their interaction. Dennis passed away not long after.

But Ben found himself circling back to Dennis and the chestnut again and again in the coming years. And, eventually, this grew into a fascination, which grew into a mission: he would try to help save the American chestnut.

To listen to this episode of Points North, please go to: The Giving Tree.