> Home > About Us > News/Events

December 27 , 2007

Santa couple offer cheer to hospital patients
 
A Haywood Regional Medical Center nurse and her husband enjoy the Christmas holiday, but they also make sure others enjoy it. The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, spent hours Christmas Eve distributing gifts to patients at the medical center.

The couple moved to Haywood County last December, after dividing their time between here and Florida for about six years.

“My father taught me at a young age to be aware of other people’s circumstances, and he never gave me things he did not think I would be able to afford later in life,” the benevolent woman said.

She never forgot those valuable lessons. Years later, she and her husband began donating coats and blankets to homeless men and women. For several years, they also cooked a buffet meal for 20 to 60 homeless people in sections of Miami.

The couple did not know of any homeless people in Haywood County, so they decided to make Christmas a little brighter for those hospitalized on a day normally shared with family members.

“There’s nothing worse than being in the hospital on Christmas,” said the veteran nurse, who retired in 1996 after 19 years of providing nursing care. When she saw how compassionate and caring the nursing staff is at Haywood Regional Medical Center, she said she eagerly returned to work.

“Any dedicated nurse will tell you, you don’t choose nursing, it chooses you,” the woman said. “I think it’s fabulous to be able to work at Haywood Regional. Sharing gifts is my way of paying it forward.

“The Santa visit was a tremendous success and, at the end, we looked at each other and stated that if we put one smile on a face that had none, we were successful,” the generous nurse said.

“The staff seemed to enjoy it as much as the patients, and yes even a doctor or two,” she said. “So, this special event has ended; however, Santa is already storing up for next year,” she said. “He even received a couple of requests while at the hospital. I guess he will have to trade in his sleigh for an SUV.

“Santa has HRMC’s address on Rudolph’s GPS and will be back next year. The only thing that will be different is deciding how many elves he can carry. The offers were many,” the nurse said.