My sister and I were placed in foster care at a young age due to our mother being an addict and making poor choices. We were split up and I was adopted by a different family. I ran away from that family at 15, became homeless, and couch surfed throughout most of high school. During that time, I started talking to my biological mother who was still an addict, but wanted a different life. After a couple years of sobriety, she and I began to have honest conversations. I planned to talk to her about my adoption to get her side of what happened.
My senior year in high school I continued to participate in the Running Start Program where Juniors and Seniors in high school could attend college classes for credit if qualified. I was also playing basketball for my high school team and living in the basement of my basketball coach’s’ friend, Donna, who was a local hospital administrator. At that time, my mom was living in Oregon and I was in Port Angeles, Washington. I needed a ride to visit her in Oregon for a weekend and my friend Josh volunteered to make it happen because he understood the importance of the visit.
We started driving to Oregon when a huge storm began to rage. The rain was coming down so hard that the windshield wipers on full throttle could not clear the window to see. We were only an hour into a five-hour drive and decided it was too dangerous to continue so we turned around. Josh was not available to give me a ride for a few weeks so we decided to plan it again later. However, only a week after, my mom was hit and killed by a semi-truck. I was devastated.
At the time, I was a senior with over a 3.5 GPA with only a few months until graduation. I became depressed, stopped going to school, and lost all focus. Questions just bounced around in my head and a state of emotional disregard began trying to manifest itself to blame, to let hate lead my actions. I wanted to break. I am normally a very sociable person, but I began to avoid others.
It was at this time that my basketball coach, teachers, and Donna provided the support I needed to get past the latest challenge in my life. They simply went out of their way to genuinely care. They let me know they believed in me and were there if needed. At that time, I needed more than casual friends; I needed to see that others understood my loss and those who were a part of my life were willing to be there in addition to my friends.
With their support, I was able to return to school and continue. I had an uphill battle to catch up in school to graduate on time but I did it. I did it with the support of others.
As a medical field employee, Donna provided something that not many would. She provided me shelter not knowing who I was, except what she heard from my coach, and she was willing to form a relationship with me based on what I shared about my life and challenges. When my mom passed, she was there to console but not baby me, allowing me to get sad, and knowing when to encourage me to get back up. Back then, I didn’t understand the skill that takes. Now after 20 years of working with youth and families, I have learned the compassion of individuals in the medical field can make a difference; not only in my life, but the lives of those they serve daily in their jobs. Their hearts are full of compassion, making a positive difference in the lives of others. In all my involvement in successful community projects and programs, medical personnel such as CNA’s and nurses have been a major part of that success. They understand that caring takes effort, and action creates change.
At one time, one person in the medical field left an impression on me and made a difference in my life. In the past 20 years, I have teamed with hundreds of medical staff employees to create positive change on various local projects. Today, we have the opportunity to act together as a team again, assisting hundreds of thousands of individuals and families. Caring takes effort, action creates change, and your participation will make the difference.
My senior year in high school I continued to participate in the Running Start Program where Juniors and Seniors in high school could attend college classes for credit if qualified. I was also playing basketball for my high school team and living in the basement of my basketball coach’s’ friend, Donna, who was a local hospital administrator. At that time, my mom was living in Oregon and I was in Port Angeles, Washington. I needed a ride to visit her in Oregon for a weekend and my friend Josh volunteered to make it happen because he understood the importance of the visit.
We started driving to Oregon when a huge storm began to rage. The rain was coming down so hard that the windshield wipers on full throttle could not clear the window to see. We were only an hour into a five-hour drive and decided it was too dangerous to continue so we turned around. Josh was not available to give me a ride for a few weeks so we decided to plan it again later. However, only a week after, my mom was hit and killed by a semi-truck. I was devastated.
At the time, I was a senior with over a 3.5 GPA with only a few months until graduation. I became depressed, stopped going to school, and lost all focus. Questions just bounced around in my head and a state of emotional disregard began trying to manifest itself to blame, to let hate lead my actions. I wanted to break. I am normally a very sociable person, but I began to avoid others.
It was at this time that my basketball coach, teachers, and Donna provided the support I needed to get past the latest challenge in my life. They simply went out of their way to genuinely care. They let me know they believed in me and were there if needed. At that time, I needed more than casual friends; I needed to see that others understood my loss and those who were a part of my life were willing to be there in addition to my friends.
With their support, I was able to return to school and continue. I had an uphill battle to catch up in school to graduate on time but I did it. I did it with the support of others.
As a medical field employee, Donna provided something that not many would. She provided me shelter not knowing who I was, except what she heard from my coach, and she was willing to form a relationship with me based on what I shared about my life and challenges. When my mom passed, she was there to console but not baby me, allowing me to get sad, and knowing when to encourage me to get back up. Back then, I didn’t understand the skill that takes. Now after 20 years of working with youth and families, I have learned the compassion of individuals in the medical field can make a difference; not only in my life, but the lives of those they serve daily in their jobs. Their hearts are full of compassion, making a positive difference in the lives of others. In all my involvement in successful community projects and programs, medical personnel such as CNA’s and nurses have been a major part of that success. They understand that caring takes effort, and action creates change.
At one time, one person in the medical field left an impression on me and made a difference in my life. In the past 20 years, I have teamed with hundreds of medical staff employees to create positive change on various local projects. Today, we have the opportunity to act together as a team again, assisting hundreds of thousands of individuals and families. Caring takes effort, action creates change, and your participation will make the difference.
RSS Feed