Vietnam veteran who left hospice care now performing for hospital patients

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Two years ago, Bobby Cervantes was given weeks to live, but now, Aaron Coffman says, Cervantes is playing music at hospitals and encouraging people with his story.

Aaron Coffman is a chaplain for Humanity Hospice. He said he first meet Cervantes two years ago at Cornerstone Hospital in Broken Arrow.

Coffman said Cervantes was put on hospice for liver failure. But even then, he would play music.

“The different hospice staff would come in, from hospice aides to nurses to chaplains, and Bobby would, in a very weak condition, would pull his guitar out and he would play a song,” Coffman said.

Coffman said as he got to know Cervantes, he learned that Cervantes was a Vietnam veteran and would play his guitar to boost morale for troops.

And now, two years later, Cervantes is boosting morale at hospitals and nursing homes.

“Last year we called it ‘The Miracle Tour.’ So Bobby, even on hospice, we would take him in, maybe once twice a week, he’d go into different facilities, we would play for the residents and we’d share his testimony and just, ‘Look what the Lord has done.’ So here we are 2023, starting ‘The Miracle Tour’ this year, but what’s unique about this is Bobby is completely off of hospice, so Bobby’s story is for God’s glory,” Coffman said.

And on Feb. 20, 2023, Cervantes was sharing his story at Cornerstone Hospital.

“Today’s a really special day, two years later, to be back in very place that really all of this started,” Coffman said.

Cervantes said his music and his story gives people hope.

“Everyone that hears this, they have hope, more hope for their lives because they’re, you know, on hospice themselves or in nursing homes, and they clap and they have a good time,” Cervantes said. “And they use the Elvis as the little back up, because they know who Elvis is, that’s their time frame, so they eat that up, so I mix it with religious songs and Elvis songs and it seems to go over real big.”