Milton had to go into the hospital for extensive orthopaedic surgery. It was clear Edna could not care for him when he was due to leave the hospital. Irene and Miltonʼs network created a plan to share the care for Milton in his own apartment. During this time Irene took to calling Milton every night just before bedtime to check in and see how everything was. On good days he would make her laugh by whistling the theme song from ʻThe Andy Griffith Show.ʼ

Miltonʼs recovery progressed well and soon he no longer needed the daily support of his network friends. But Irene kept calling anyway and thatʼs what changed their relationship into a mutually supportive friendship. As Irene puts it, “I donʼt know. I just kind of got into the habit of calling Milton every night. And itʼs nice, you know. The nights donʼt seem so long because now I have someone to say goodnight to."