I received a call asking me if I had any snacks for small children, and Athena needed help in the ICU waiting area. I grabbed what I could find and raided my meal replacement stash.

When I arrived, I found her walking in, her hands full of cups of water and other snacks she had found in the patient's refrigerator. The room was full of a grieving family. There were four children all under the age of five and they of course did not understand what was happening. Their parents were in tears and attending to more family who came to join.

Athena was on the floor like a schoolroom teacher, helping them color and draw pictures. She was holding back the tears herself. She kept all those babies engaged as the world was falling apart for that family who had just lost their father – a grandpa and a loving person!

Athena is extraordinary, and she lives our hospital's mission and values.