LBJ Emergency Department Lifesavers Team
May 2019
Lbj
Lifesavers
Lyndon B Johnson Hospital
Harris Health System
Houston
,
TX
United States
Christina Fenner, RN;
Kassondra Pruneda, RN;
Kathleen Banks, RN;
Casey Hogan, RN;
Marilyn Brookins, RN;
LBJ Emergency Department staff
Kassondra Pruneda, RN;
Kathleen Banks, RN;
Casey Hogan, RN;
Marilyn Brookins, RN;
LBJ Emergency Department staff
Christina Fenner is often found encouraging her peers, whether that be for a difficult patient or to inspire staff to find a pathway outside of work that provides purpose. She manifested a solution for our team to do just that.
She reached out to her work Family to see if there was any interest to donate and provide Christmas to a group home composed of young girls. It usually takes one person to make a positive impact and uplift our spirits. Just one to remind us that our hearts and doors are always open to serve our community. Christina was able to unite our team and remind us why we serve this community and show that our actions can have an extraordinary impact on the lives of a group of young fostered children.
Our team raised over 1,500 dollars for this group home and produced an overwhelming amount of gifts. She pulled our team together and reminded us that giving is the central theme behind the holiday season. Giving is what we do here we give back to our community. A small tidbit of an email she wrote thanking our staff...
The expression "like a kid at Christmas" exists for a reason: kids wake up, pop out of bed beaming with anticipation, run to the Christmas tree, and find all the gifts that bear their name with the expectation of something amazing and magical.
But only if they have parents to make that magic happen; parents to whom they belong, and who love to see the joy of their children on Christmas morning. These girls are expecting nothing. They always expect nothing. One of the girls told me she found out Santa didn't exist when she was five or six-years-old because her foster parents made her stay up late on Christmas Eve to wrap presents so they could surprise their "real" children with the illusion that Santa came. They will each have several gifts to open, which is a bigger deal than I really know how to express. The world and their circumstances have taught these girls that they don't matter, but you have all proven that they do, and this Christmas they will see that they are loved and have infinite value. I couldn't ask for anything more.
So thank you for being a part of someone's joy—theirs and mine. I'm so grateful and I can't wait to get these gifts to them. My anticipation is through the roof. Like a kid at Christmas.
She reached out to her work Family to see if there was any interest to donate and provide Christmas to a group home composed of young girls. It usually takes one person to make a positive impact and uplift our spirits. Just one to remind us that our hearts and doors are always open to serve our community. Christina was able to unite our team and remind us why we serve this community and show that our actions can have an extraordinary impact on the lives of a group of young fostered children.
Our team raised over 1,500 dollars for this group home and produced an overwhelming amount of gifts. She pulled our team together and reminded us that giving is the central theme behind the holiday season. Giving is what we do here we give back to our community. A small tidbit of an email she wrote thanking our staff...
The expression "like a kid at Christmas" exists for a reason: kids wake up, pop out of bed beaming with anticipation, run to the Christmas tree, and find all the gifts that bear their name with the expectation of something amazing and magical.
But only if they have parents to make that magic happen; parents to whom they belong, and who love to see the joy of their children on Christmas morning. These girls are expecting nothing. They always expect nothing. One of the girls told me she found out Santa didn't exist when she was five or six-years-old because her foster parents made her stay up late on Christmas Eve to wrap presents so they could surprise their "real" children with the illusion that Santa came. They will each have several gifts to open, which is a bigger deal than I really know how to express. The world and their circumstances have taught these girls that they don't matter, but you have all proven that they do, and this Christmas they will see that they are loved and have infinite value. I couldn't ask for anything more.
So thank you for being a part of someone's joy—theirs and mine. I'm so grateful and I can't wait to get these gifts to them. My anticipation is through the roof. Like a kid at Christmas.