HomeCare Heroes
By Kristin Carroll, Juliana Frederick, Meg Herndon, Michelle Love and Hannah Wolfson
It’s our favorite time of year here at HomeCare—the time we set aside to honor the people who make this industry great. Each year, we ask for your nominations, and each year, you blow us away with the quantity and quality of stories that you share—stories so heartfelt they make it difficult to select just a handful of official HomeCare Heroes.
This year’s finalists include very special caregivers, company owners and everyone in between. Some stood out because they’ve dedicated themselves to medically fragile children, to cancer survivors and to veterans. Others are honored for their efforts to educate seniors, families, the industry or policymakers about the role homecare plays in the continuum of care. We hope you enjoy their stories—and continue to tell us about the heroes who inspire you.
Consider this our moment of gratitude for everyone in these pages and for many more who moved us but don’t appear here. A big thank you goes out to our sponsors, who make this effort possible (see below), and to the writers who brought these stories to life: Kristin Carroll, Juliana Frederick, Meg Herndon, Michelle Love and Hannah Wolfson.
KASEY GOBEN
Pro Re Nata Nurse, BSN, RN
Angels Care Home Health & Millenium Home Health Fort Myers, Florida
When Hurricane Ian finally dissipated on Oct. 1, 2022, it left in its wake $113 billion in damage, 161 dead and 9 million people without power. It was labeled as the costliest tropical cyclone in Florida’s history.
“That hurricane completely destroyed where we lived,” said Kasey Goben, a registered nurse who works with Angels Care Home Health and Millenium Home Health. As a resident of Fort Myers, Florida, she was without power for 13 days and without water for three weeks.
And yet, a day after the storm made landfall, Goben was in her Jeep, making her way over roads that were no longer there—through standing water and past debris to reach patients who had been cut off from the rest of the population.
“This one patient in particular, his road was just completely destroyed,” she said. "He lived right on the water. He was probably in his late 80s or early 90s, and when I opened the door, so much water rushed out of the house. He was just sitting there on his cabinet, basically waiting for somebody to come find him.”
In the days and weeks after the storm, Goben and other local home health workers didn’t just care for the immediate health of their patients. They were able to bring mold remediation companies to some houses and provide other resources well beyond health care, she said.
Goben was born into a family or nurses, so to her, it only seemed right to follow in their footsteps.
“My grandmother, my mother and my sister—they are all nurses,” she said. “I never even explored other career options.”
She became a registered nurse in 2020, a rough year for many front-line workers, and began her career in acute care and travel nursing before settling into home health two and a half years ago.
“If it was my family member, and it was their house that I know just got completely hit ... Of course, I’m going to go in and assess the situation and see exactly what I can do to help.”
“I really just wanted to branch out and try something completely different in the outpatient setting,” Goben said. “And home health is where I landed.”
At first, she said, it was different for her to have that much autonomy over her routine and responsibility for the day-to-day care of her patients.
“You’re the one there educating them and providing all these resources and tools to help them get better,” she said. “So, it was a shift, but it was a good one.”
She has also learned to trust her gut. When one patient was in the hospital, she made it a point to check in with the person’s spouse, who was medically fragile and at home alone. When talking to him one day, she realized something wasn’t right.
“You could hear it,” she said. “You could hear his slurred speech. He was not making any sense, he was confused.”
Goben called 911 and waited with him on the phone until emergency medical technicians reached him. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a cerebrovascular accident. Goben helped work with the spouse, and hospital so they were admitted to the same hospital as their spouse.
“Trust in your gut is everything. Even if it might not be anything at all, the one time that it is something and you don’t call…” Goben left the rest of the sentence unspoken. “We just want the best outcomes, no matter what.”
Goben is currently on the path to becoming a nurse practitioner so she can continue to build upon her knowledge and educate those she’s helping. Her plan is to stay in home health after she graduates in April, and she wants to become a wound care nurse practitioner.
“At the end of the day, I truly care,” she said. “I want people to get better.”
CHRYSTAL EVERETT
Chief Executive Officer
Wichita Home Health Service
Wichita Falls, Texas
Advocacy for home health workers and their patients is a huge passion for Chrystal Everett. She’s not just the CEO of Texas-based Wichita Home Health Service, she’s also the immediate past president of the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice (TAHC&H).
Everett joined the home health profession under Wichita Home Health Service’s founder, Ruth Constant, who opened the business in 1969. Everett said Constant not only mentored her to be a better caregiver, but also taught her the importance of getting involved at the state and federal levels.
“I immediately joined our Texas association, and I got very involved,” she said. “I sat on the political action committee (PAC) for several years, and then I became the president of the committee. We advocated in Austin (Texas) and Washington for all the fields of the industry, be it private duty, Medicare home health, hospice or pediatric therapy.”
In 2022, Everett resigned from her post on the PAC to take up the role of president of TAHC&H. Her term ended this year.
“I learned a lot in two years. It was very heavy on advocacy,” she said. “I expanded my knowledge in the industry. (I’ve) only done Medicare and primary care services (at Wichita Home Health Service). I needed to learn more about my industry, all the different types of private duty and their problems and legislative needs.”
Everett said she championed the work of the government affairs committee and the PAC, ensuring the work of the committees and the association was in line with the rest of the profession.
“We didn’t want to go in (to a meeting with a legislator) with separate asks, when what we’re really trying to do is get a rate increase (for the industry),” she said.
That effort secured a huge win in the Texas state legislature, Everett said, including $2 billion for community care attendant costs and $46 million for private duty nursing.
“She travels all over the state of Texas and Washington fighting for the rights of our elderly and disabled citizens. She rallies people together to help patients stay in their homes and still receive the best care possible.”
“These funds are critical to reinforcing the quality and accessibility of homecare and hospice services in Texas,” Everett said. “Notably, this was the first significant increase to the attendant cost area in over a decade. It has been 17 years since the administrative portion of the rate has received an increase. TAHC&H is still advocating for this and will continue our advocacy next session.”
In addition to championing the industry, Everett champions her team, ensuring they have every resource available to not only do their jobs, but also to advance in their careers.
“I look at my staff, and their achievements are what make me happy,” she said. “I’m the softball mom in the stands when they make an improvement with a patient. I’ve watched some of my employees go from LVN to RN or RN to nurse practitioner, pursuing their wants in life and bettering their families. That’s a good feeling to watch and be able to mentor them to do that.”
Everett wants to keep Constant’s dream and business alive for many years to come. Wichita Home Health Service just completed a merger with LTM Group, which will expand the agency’s reach beyond the Texas border.
“From a small agency point of view, we know our patients; we know our people,” Everett said. “We’ve served them for generations. We’ve had so many people that we’ve taken care of their grandparents or their moms or their dads, and now it’s our turn to take care of them. That’s something special, that a hometown agency and a small agency can give that back to the community.”
GARY DURK
Vice President
Accucare Home Medical*
Westlake, Ohio
Some heroes have exciting stories about dramatic events. Others just show up every day for decades and consistently do whatever needs to be done with a smile. Gary Durk falls into the latter category.
Durk started his career in home medical equipment in 1983 when his elementary school basketball coach helped him secure an interview with the Cleveland, Ohio-based company Fraiberg and Smith. When that business was bought out and much of the staff laid off, he went to work alongside his brother, Cliff, at Hastings Home Health Center.
Cliff would later move to Kansas City and start Accucare Home Medical. In 1998, Accucare moved back to Ohio, where Durk joined with his brother to “make a go of it.” A few years later, they would open another branch in nearby Lyndhurst.
Today, at the age of 65, Durk runs the retail floor, helping customers with all their needs. He repairs rollators and wheelchairs. He cleans and stocks shelves and keeps the showroom organized. He goes out of his way to chat with the seniors who come into the store and make them feel comfortable. In his own words, he wears many hats.
“Whatever needs to be done,” Durk said. “I am in contact daily with all of our employees to make sure things are getting done and the deliveries are going out.”
He said Accucare has a large walk-in business, which has helped the company survive difficult times—including most recently, during the Change Healthcare cyberattack, which limited the company’s ability to bill Medicare.
“He keeps our small business running; repairing equipment, charging reasonable prices and coming into work every day with coffee and consistency—the keys to success!”
“I’m closely involved with our walk-in customers and get to know many on a first-name basis,” he said. “We get a lot of veterans in our store. I always enjoy striking up conversations with them and hearing their stories.”
“He treats everyone with dignity and respect,” Durk’s sister, Susan Rees, said in his nomination. “He keeps our small business running—repairing equipment, charging reasonable prices and coming into work every day with coffee and consistency. At the end of the day, somebody always pulls into the parking lot after hours and he will still help them, even though I’m sure he wants to go home. To me, he is a great example of true work ethic, and an unsung hometown hero in every way.”
Rees joked that she was sure her brother thought he would be retired by now, but he’s still working seven days a week.
Durk credits his longevity in the industry to those who came before him and shared their knowledge. While at Hastings, he was encouraged to gain accreditation from the Joint Commission, which has helped in running Accucare. He said his proudest accomplishment is working with his family to keep Accucare running for 26 1/2 years, despite plenty of industry challenges.
In those nearly three decades, Durk has seen many changes in home medical equipment, especially in increased battery life and reliability for scooters and power wheelchairs. All of it moves toward a single goal, he said.
“As long as there are companies out there that continue to innovate and improve products, the end user will be allowed a better quality of life,” he said.
*Editor’s note: Two finalists work for similarly named companies but the two businesses are unrelated.
MARIA GIANNINO
Director, Hospital-at-Home Program
Nascentia Health
Syracuse, New York
For Maria Giannino, nursing isn’t just a job, it’s her life’s mission—a mission that began four decades ago when she started her career in the hospital setting as an intensive care pediatric nurse. With a passion for pediatrics and a desire to do something new, she eventually found herself in pediatric homecare at Nascentia Health.
This was 32 years ago, and Giannino said that at the time, they were the only pediatric homecare in central New York.
“When I came on, pediatrics was just starting,” she said. “They only had seven patients.”
Now, Nascentia Health may serve more than 400 pediatric patients at a time, in part thanks to Giannino’s efforts.
Giannino has championed the establishment of a pediatric foundation through the Visiting Nursing Association of Central New York. She uses her voice to call for better access to high-quality homecare for those who might not be able to afford it.
“Her dedication, not just to her patients, but to their families and the broader community, has created a legacy of care that will continue to influence and inspire generations of homecare workers,” Ryan Pyland wrote in his nomination for Giannino. “She is a true embodiment of the spirit of nursing, selflessly sacrificing her time, energy and personal moments to ensure her patients’ safety and comfort.”
A special part of pediatric home health is the way caregivers become intertwined with the family they are helping.
“I was invited to a wedding of one of our patients,” she said. “You really feel appreciated, and it just becomes part of who we are as nurses. We are there to help, and in return, they become part of our family, as well.”
There are many standout moments in her career that make her believe she’s in the right profession and that have developed her into who she is today.
She remembers a time when she was taking care of a child in end-of-life care. She sat with the child and his mother for most of the day and evening.
“Just being able to be with her and him to help things go smoothly, I think that was a part that really said, ‘This is where you need to be,’” Giannino said. “That was many years ago, and she just kept telling me how much I was her angel. But in reality, it was them that gave me the insight that this is where my life belongs-—in homecare, helping others.”
Whether she’s in one-on-one moments with patients and families or tackling larger-scale projects, such as education and advocacy, Giannino says her focus is community. It’s something she says the world needs more of, ranging from support amongst older and younger health care workers to community services and the community needed to care for someone in their home.
“Once I got into homecare, I knew there was no other place to be.”
At the end of the day, she says, it’s people that make life seem kinder, even in the hardest moments.
“I treat my families like I want to be treated—like I want my family to be treated,” she said. “I’m hoping that they take a little piece of that and maybe pass it on, because I think that’s what we need more of around here, is a lot of compassion for each other.”
Once she found herself in homecare, Giannino couldn’t see herself doing anything else, and she doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.
“If I didn’t go into home health and become a homecare nurse, who knows what I would’ve been like,” Giannino said. “I just feel that it just gives you so much empathy and compassion for people who really are in need. I love what I do, so when I think about eventually retiring, I’m still going to do this.”
BOONE LOCKARD
Vice President, Clinical Service
VGM & Associates
Waterloo, Iowa
Boone Lockard has been in the home medical equipment (HME) and pharmacy world since he was a child; his mother managed a string of independent pharmacies in Northern Illinois. At 18, Lockard was hired at Lehan Drugs.
He worked his way through the company, earning his respiratory therapist license and helping build their respiratory program.
“It wasn’t instant gratification,” Lockard said. “We were ordering and setting up five CPAP devices a month. When I left, we were ordering hundreds of devices on a monthly basis.”
After a three-year stint as an account manager for Philips Respironics, Lockard landed at VGM & Associates in 2022, where he oversees the respiratory and sleep services programs. In February of this year, he was promoted to vice president of clinical services, a role that requires him to supervise and collaborate with the VGM Sleep Services team to find clinical and operational solutions for durable medical equipment providers.
His nominator applauded his work at the buyer’s group, saying that he always keeps a positive attitude while offering up helpful information to members and others working in the industry.
He said his prior experience with Lehan Drugs helps him connect with providers who are developing their own respiratory and sleep businesses.
“The VGM Respiratory role allows me to work with our members, who are HME providers in the in the U.S. market, and help them either operate more efficiently, identify new product lines that can help support their business and patients or help with billing and reimbursement; essentially helping them grow their business to be successful,” Lockard said.
Since 2022, the VGM Sleep Services program has been providing virtual setups and follow-ups to help patients remain compliant with therapy.
“He consistently remains positive, helpful and informative, and we truly value the support he provides to our company.”
“The growth that we’ve seen in this program and the amount of patients that we’re able to touch on a monthly basis is rewarding,” Lockard said. “I haven’t been in the clinical setting for a few years now, and this really brings me back to providing positive outcomes to patients and the industry.”
One of the biggest challenges today for HME providers, Lockard said, is recruiting valuable clinical staff, such as respiratory therapists.
“They are being guided into the acute care space,” he said. “We’re having to fight for those respiratory therapists in our space and be competitive. It’s challenging, especially for some independent providers.”
Staffing challenges aside, Lockard said that HME “has a very bright future.”
“Some of our analysts here at VGM are projecting that within the next 10 years, each of our HME providers will have to handle about two times the amount of patients that they’re managing today.”
He credits his success in the profession to a group of “work moms” at Lehan Drugs.
“I was a young kid back then. I wasn’t trouble, per se, but just going through college and everything that college brings; they kept me on track, they held me accountable,” Lockard said. “That’s what really guided me in this path of homecare.”
BARBARA COLELLA
Gerontologist & Client Care Manager
Pacific Coast Home Care Simi Valley, California
Barbara Colella grew up with a younger sister who had severe brain damage. Her sister couldn’t walk and could hardly talk; doctors said little about her possibilities for the future. So, Colella took it upon herself to care for her, to visit her often when she was sent away to a care facility and to support her in any way that she could. In doing so, she realized that she had a personal duty to help others.
Even as Colella worked to support her sister, her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Through her mother’s in-home cancer treatments, she was exposed to homecare for the first time. Colella became, like so many others, an adult child taking care of her parent. She had become a mother herself and was stretched thin by the demands of caring for herself, her children and her mom.
After her mother passed away, Colella returned to school to study geriatric psychology, intending to educate other adult children about the aging population. After gaining a master’s degree in gerontology, she began her work in homecare. Now, as a gerontologist and client care manager, she assists adult children, seniors and the aging population in care at home, assisted living facilities and post-acute skilled care units.
In her daily work, Colella conducts, assesses and provides care plans to senior patients across the homecare spectrum. She devotes her time and efforts to creating care plans that benefit the patient and are comprehensive for both the patient and their family members. She prioritizes making a personal connection with clients and their family members, with a focus on supporting adult children who are caring for their parents. As an advocate and intermediary, she works to bridge the gap between hospital and in-home care for the benefit of patients, their families and their caregivers.
“Caring for a human being, it’s a really big deal. We’re not stocking cans on shelves. We are dealing with human lives. We as caregivers see the person for who they were and who they are, and that is what dignified care looks like.”
“When I come in, I help everybody accept what’s happened and that that’s in the past,” Colella said. “I tell them, ‘Here we are today, in the present, and here are our options for the future.’ I help with facilitating feelings, so that feelings don’t become fallings or fallout. I make sure that if (the family) has a problem or needs an objective resource, I’m there in place to help them.”
Throughout her work, she endeavors to create lasting positive impacts on the lives of her clients.
“I call them little bigs: little things that make a big difference,” Colella said. “A little big might be taking the time to remember that, for example, Sarah likes yellow sunflowers, so when I stop and visit, I have those flowers with me. Those little things connect you to people and make a big difference. They show that I’m paying attention, listening to you and taking note of what’s important to you as an individual.”
Colella works toward making in-home care a positive, mutually beneficial experience by educating and training caregivers and by pairing clients with caregivers who share their interests and personalities.
She seeks to pass along her knowledge and experience to staff members. She says having a solid caregiving workforce can improve patient outcomes and help reduce caregiver burnout.
“The care that we take in preparing the caregiver, it creates the win-win-win,” Colella said. “It’s like cooking; you can read a recipe before you cook, or you can just wing it. If you wing it, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes, because you might not have measured properly. But if you really read a recipe, you can nail it every time because you’ve prepared.”
ESTHER IWUNZE
Administrator & Co-Founder
Yes to Home Care
Pearland, Texas
When Esther Iwunze stepped in as her mother’s caregiver, she often felt like she was trying to navigate a maze. The senior care industry was unfamiliar and finding the resources they needed as she provided hands-on, full-time care was overwhelming.
This experience inspired her to make senior caregiving easier, more accessible and less daunting. So, she launched not just her own homecare agency, but also created a series of trade shows to offer resources and connections for seniors—all with the goal of letting older people navigate their futures with confidence.
“I experienced what it was like being a caregiver for (my mom),” Iwunze said. “Knowing that she felt loved, she felt compassion and trying to be the best I could be for her was an opportunity for me to (realize that) I want everyone who we care for to experience that kind of care.”
“Knowing that there are a lot of cracks in the system, I decided to start my own homecare agency and find ways to provide better services,” she continued.
Iwunze had experience as a geriatric nurse before she founded her agency, which now provides pediatric and adult home health services, private duty nursing, personal care and more. Inspired by her own personal caregiving experience, the agency was founded to meet the consistent need for senior care.
“I’m always motivating my team to remember the reason why we do what we do, and that we make a difference in the lives of those we serve.”
About a year into running her agency, Iwunze took another step by creating Senior Trade Shows, which hosts events for the senior community in and around the Houston metropolitan area and farther afield in Texas.
Over the past nine years, the monthly trade shows have been a platform to connect seniors to resources and network with others in the community. They include resources on Medicare, estate planning, health screenings, nutritional information and more.
Iwunze says her eventual goal is to make the trade shows into a national event, allowing more seniors and community members to attend the events.
“(The shows) give (seniors) resources that can empower them,” Iwunze said. “We do that in an environment that is fun by providing entertainment in a safe environment, an environment that makes them feel welcomed. It gives them an opportunity to network with their peers, connect with subject matter experts, ask questions and get help on the spot.”
Iwunze said it’s important to be passionate about and dedicated to the senior care industry in order to make a long-term, positive impact. After all, the demand for people who are passionate about helping others isn’t going to lessen any time soon, she said.
“There’s always going to be a need to take care of seniors. Our seniors are not going anywhere,” she said. “There’s always going to be that demand. And our parents and seniors took care of us first, so it’s only right that we also take care of them. That’s where my heart is.”
AMBER SIMMONS
Co-Owner
Accucare Medical
Shreveport, Louisiana
Amber Simmons never planned to go into the durable medical equipment (DME) business. It was her mother’s calling—she started Accucare Medical along with a silent partner as a single mom in 1993.
“I told my mom, ‘I’m never working for you,’” Simmons said. “I’ve been cleaning wheelchairs since I was 7 or 8.”
Simmons earned a degree in finance and landed a job in banking—but soon, she found herself helping her mom with her taxes and books, then a few more tasks, and then a few more, until she landed back at the business full-time.
“I did not like the banking world,” Simmons said. “I felt like I wasn’t making a difference. I felt like I was called to do something different and more helpful.”
Simmons eventually became a certified orthotist and pedorthist and developed a specialty in diabetic shoe fitting. In 2008, Shreveport, Louisiana-based Accucare moved across town and into a 7,000-square-foot building with a 2,500-square-foot showroom.
“This was before the big retail push in DME,” Simmons said. “We were kind of on the forefront.”
The move allowed Simmons to act on an idea to improve her customers’ experiences. Several of her regular shoe customers told her they had recently had mastectomies, and their only option for trying on items was a closet in another store.
“It’s a very service-oriented industry, so if that’s your heart, it’s a great place to be. I think in this industry … there’s a lot of ups and downs, a lot of ebbs and flows that we have to navigate, and I would say to not get discouraged by those—look at the big picture.”
“I was like—oh no, that’s a need we can fill,” she said. “So, I went back and got certified to do that—it’s really kind of the ministry part of it for me, you know, meeting those ladies. And it naturally evolved from other customers and seeing their needs and seeing what was lacking … and it just kind of took off from there.”
Today, the mastectomy boutique is her favorite part of the business. The boutique includes a private fitting area off the main showroom that is decorated with hand-painted murals. In addition to prostheses, she carries wigs, bras, compression garments, scarves and hats for patients and customers.
Simmons said the best part is building a long-term relationship with her mastectomy patients. She prefers to meet with them before their surgery to explain the fitting timeline, what the process is like and to help them get comfortable.
“That’s definitely a relationship and trust that you have to build, and I think we do that very well,” Simmons said. “Most of my mastectomy patients I’ve had, I’ve been fitting now for over 10 years, and they come back yearly for their supplies. And I know what’s going on in their life, and they know what’s going on in mine.”
When Simmons’ kids were born, her mother decided to step back from the business to spend time with her grandchildren—and to free her daughter up to take over the business. Recently, her silent partner passed away and the family planned to put the company on the market. But then, a new partner, Gary Adams, stepped up and offered to share the work, so they took on ownership together. Now, she’s not leaving DME—yet.
“It’s a long-term, long-haul business. You’re not going to just come in here and overnight set the world on fire and make a ton of money, you know what I mean?” Simmons laughed. “But, you’re just going to plug in every day. You’re going to do the best you can. You’re going to try to have the best reputation you can and treat people the way you want to be treated, and, at the end of the day, the business will grow.”
HAWAH BELLEH
Pediatric Homecare Aide
Independent Contractor
Alexandria, Virginia
Hawah Belleh has always loved helping people. It’s something that was a huge part of her life well before she moved to the United States from Liberia, West Africa. Belleh, who now lives in Alexandria, Virginia, has devoted her life to making sure those with special needs always have an advocate.
Her inspiration comes from her sister, who was diagnosed on the autism spectrum.
“Back home, we didn’t know anything about autism, so we didn’t know what was going on with her. When we came to the United States, that’s when we found out she’s autistic,” Belleh said.
Now, she’s been in the caregiving field for 15 years. She currently works in therapeutic recreation for the city of Alexandria and as a private contractor helping families with special needs children. Belleh focuses on her pediatric clients’ individual needs and works with the parents to determine what will help them manage their own needs, such as picking children up from school.
“It comes with the passion. If you love what you do, you do it right and you do it to the fullest. I love what I do. It comes with the challenges, but I love it. I think that’s a gift God gave me. Wherever I go, I’m always trying to help.”
She has learned that it’s important for caregivers to put in the effort to understand everything special needs individuals could be experiencing, because that understanding can make a world of difference.
Belleh said that even small things can make a huge difference in her clients’ lives. She recalled an instance that particularly touched her heart involving a 7-year-old boy.
“I have this participant in my group who would cry and cry,” she said. “He’s nonverbal, and I kept trying to understand what was going on, because my sister used to do the same thing. I would separate him from the group, and I would get down on my knees and ask him questions about what could possibly be wrong. Finally, one day he pointed at his belly, (meaning) that his tummy hurt. That just made everything make sense that his tummy hurt and we didn’t even realize it.”
Working with special needs children brings joy and difficulty, Belleh said.
“(The work) comes with its challenges, but I am a very patient person and I’m persistent and very passionate about what I do," she said. "So, for all of the kids, I fully support them to help them strive and reach independence. They want to be independent and we try to help them do as much as they can on their own. I love all the challenges. I’ve had people tell me, even people I know, that I go above and beyond, and I say, ‘Yes, that’s my job.’”
In fact, in her nomination for Belleh, Deanne McNulty praised Belleh for her dedication.
“Hawah gave our daughter the time and space to trust her and built a relationship that has blossomed,” McNulty said. “We can trust Hawah in every way. She has built routines that allow our daughter to grow and become a part of our community. People know both of them and go out of their way to greet them and reinforce the progress our daughter is making.”
Belleh’s jovial demeanor adds to her optimistic spirit, something her coworkers and Belleh herself say is contagious.
“I’m a very happy person,” she said, smiling. “When I come to work, everybody knows Hawah is in the building. I’m always happy. I’m always smiling, because I woke up this morning and I’m alive. So I’m so grateful. I always have that gratefulness in me. I love everyone unconditionally.”
JOHN OLIN
Director, Bracing Program
Stride Pedorthic Center
Middlebury, Connecticut
John Olin had never even heard of an orthotist when he started working.
Then, at his firstborn’s first birthday party, Olin met someone who explained that line of work. At the time, he had poured hours into earning a chemistry degree, teaching at a New York prep school and working in landscape design.
Suddenly, at 30, he found himself in graduate school, with the promise of a job awaiting him upon graduation. This job offer came from the same person who told him about orthotics—the practice of designing and fitting anatomical bracing for patients who have various medical needs.
Twenty-five years later, things began to change. When the COVID-19 pandemic shed a different light on the industry, Olin said he was looking for new direction in his life.
So, he reached out to a friend who owned a practice dedicated to custom foot orthotics and shoes and asked what they thought about combining their skill sets. The friend said yes, and Olin came aboard the practice as a test run for a year, before joining full-time in 2022. He has been with the Stride Pedorthic Center—which specializes in custom orthotics, shoes and bracing—ever since.
“He is especially compassionate with his pediatric patients and acutely in tune to their special needs. He shows kindness and empathy with his elderly patients, who also require special care with their needs as they age and ambulation becomes more difficult.”
“We’ve expanded: New offices, new exam rooms, I have a new lab,” Olin said. “We’ve done a beautiful lab where we do our own manufacturing. I would say about 90% of what we do is in-house.”
Stride works with age groups from children to seniors, making and adjusting orthotics on-site. Because Olin works in anatomical bracing, he collaborates closely with patients, doctors and physical therapists to ensure his patients’ needs are thoroughly met so they can have the easiest experience possible.
Olin goes above and beyond to make it happen, said his nominator, Renee Chapman.
“There have been many times that John will go out of his way to see patients at home, at the gym, at summer camp or wherever is the most convenient place for them, to evaluate, cast or deliver the product they need,” Chapman wrote. “I’m sure his patients would attest to the superior care they receive from John.”
One of the biggest perks of the job is seeing the look of excitement on a child’s face when he is able to fit them with a life-changing brace, Olin said.
“I love kids,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun to work with them. It’s just so great, because the kids will come in and say they have something called drop foot, which is where the foot just drops and they have no control over it. I’ll get a brace on that and all of the sudden, they’ll start running up and down the hall, so happy. It’s incredible to see that.”
Olin also works with children who are quadriplegics, use a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy or other reasons or have developmental delays. Some of his clients are nonverbal, but that doesn’t stop him from forming a bond with every single one of them.
“People will ask me all the time, ‘How do you do it? It must really get to you,’ and the answer is no, it doesn’t get to me,” he said.
“I see the potential in these kids. The worst thing is when people forget these kids have brains. They may not be able to communicate like you and me, but they have brains and they think like we do. It’s very uplifting to work with them and form a relationship with them.”
ISRAEL VEGA
BSN RN, Field Nurse Manager
Americare in Home Care San Antonio, Texas
Israel Vega’s car is stocked with the tools of the trade.
At any time, he at least has gauze, saline and other wound cleaner and self-adhesive wrap on hand. He just wants to be ready when he gets to see his patients, especially since he often drives hours to do so.
Vega, a registered nurse, is a field nursing manager for Americare in Home Care—and that “field” moniker is no joke. With his home base well outside the city of San Antonio, Texas, and his clients spread around the region, he is always ready to travel. But that’s an improvement over his prior life as a hospital nurse, he says.
“I like the freedom that home health offers,” Vega said. “You get to eat lunch when you want to eat lunch, you get to use the bathroom when you want. I really enjoy it, but it was a big learning curve for me.”
He also finds it satisfying because all of his patients—and all of his home health agency’s clients—are veterans. Vega didn’t serve himself, but he takes pride in caring for those who did.
“Israel’s commitment is evident in his daily efforts, as he travels up to an hour each way from his home, often enduring the sweltering heat and late hours to meet with patients. His willingness to go the extra mile exemplifies his deep sense of responsibility and compassion,” his nominator, Bianca Salazar James, wrote.
He cares for a range of clients—most are seniors, but there are also a number of younger veterans with spinal cord or other injuries. Many of his visits involve caring for people with chronic needs, such as routine catheter changes or bowel programs.
He loves it when those patients become comfortable counting on him. For example, he recalls a female patient who was very resistant to working with a male nurse at first.
“His tireless efforts and exemplary work ethic significantly impact the lives of our veterans and set a standard for excellence within our organization.”
“I’ve built up her trust over the years, but now if I have to help her, she doesn’t feel bad,” Vega said. “She’s okay with the health care and I like that. I like that I develop that trust with someone who normally wouldn’t want a guy doing the program.”
In general, Vega tries to get his patients to share their stories and to find out how they got their injuries; as he points out, it’s often one misstep that lands someone in a wheelchair for life. That helps him put himself in their shoes, he said.
“I definitely could empathize with what they’re going through,” Vega said. “I use that sometimes when I wake up in the morning and I don’t feel like doing this today. You’re like, ‘You know what? You have that option. What a beautiful option that I have.’”
The notion that people are depending on him drives him to work almost nonstop—he very rarely takes a day off, including weekends and holidays, saying he’d rather see a couple of patients on a Saturday morning than get a lazy start to the day.
“One of my guys I see every day—for the last two years—I’ve only missed one day with him,” Vega said. Because that patient’s home health aide was coming in too late following other visits—and the patient was starting to refuse help—Vega volunteered to take over the aide’s work on activities of daily living, helping him get dressed and shower along with offering clinical care.
The benefit of such dedication is that he gets to become part of the patients’ lives, Vega said.
“You meet their families and you become like part of their family in essence,” he said.
Thank You to Our Sponsors:
