I want to share a special piece that Christi wrote and delivered to her staff in the GI Dept. today (our 3rd Anniversary in our new location) …it speaks volumes about Christi. She never ceases to amaze me with her kind heart and love for her job. It is evident that it isn’t just the “job” that she loves, it is the people. There is no way 37,337 people could have received the level of care that they have over the last three years without her. She is the core of that department, and this is one example that demonstrates why. Christi personifies grace and integrity. She is the ideal role model for her team and colleagues. She took me under her wing when I first joined BSC, 14 short years ago. She has been my biggest cheerleader as well as coached me in a specialty I had no experience with. I have witnessed her replicate this with many of her peers and direct reports. She has touched the lives of so many patients in the Brandon community, whether it be as their Nurse providing care for them at the center or by leading the excellent care in her department through her team. There are thousands of reasons why Christi deserves to receive this award. They are the people thousands of people…the patients, family members, physicians, coworkers, anesthesia providers, reps/vendors, she has provided a positive experience over the many years of working at the Brandon Surgery Center.

What Christi shared at the staff meeting: "37,337 endo cases to date- It all began three years ago when we were in the midst of Covid. Our staffing was very slim, we had lots of agency nurses. I saw my share of tears and heard the frustrations. Due to the shutdown, there was a backlog of patients who had been waiting for procedures, and when we opened these doors, they came flooding in. The hours were long, and many of you left exhausted. Overtime was a normal occurrence. Two centers coming together how could we pull it off?? We didn't know each other. We did things differently. We had to learn each other's ways and we had to learn each other's names. We had to learn each other's doctors. We had to learn each other's equipment. We had to learn, adapt, and overcome many obstacles. But we did....... Almost immediately, I saw a group of strangers to each other come together. There were tragedies that occurred to our comrades and I saw you all circle the wagons. Thinking about some of those instances brings tears to my ears. Over the past 3 years, we have experienced together marriages, divorces, births and deaths. There are so many instances where I have seen you show each other compassion, strength and friendship with each other. We will experience obstacles again because life is full of them. But we are a family, and we have each other's back. I am most certain of that. There is a reason patients come here. There is a reason our doctors come here. There is a reason I am still here It is you. So from the bottom of my heart, I am so thankful that I have each and every one of you. So, today our meeting is not about weakness or failures. Today it is about recognizing our strengths. Please use one short positive sentence to describe the person to your left."