Nancy Avena, Physical Therapist, 23 Years of Service

After the earthquake in Haiti, Nancy learned there was no place for the thousands of amputees to be fitted for prostheses.  After a vigorous Internet search, she discovered Physicians for Peace, an organization that was setting up a clinic in the Haitian capital.  They planned to offer free prosthetic arms and legs.  Nancy was moved by their vision and became their second volunteer.  She immediately left for her first of two trips to Port-au-Prince. 

Nancy recounts a mother watching her son as she trained him in the use of prosthesis.  She silently nodded her head and smiled with encouragement as he took his first steps.  After finishing, the mother gently picked him up and began the long walk back to the tent, her home since losing everything in the earthquake.  When asked what could ease her burden, she said, “My son was covered in rubble for four days.  But God has blessed me and gave my son back to me.  I want nothing more”.

Nancy has also volunteered  in Mexico, helping to facilitate the running of water lines to a local church.  She is active in her church, serving the underprivileged in the St. Louis area by establishing and staffing fitness centers for those unable to pay.  When asked why she spends so much time giving to others, she said, “Why wouldn’t I do it? God gave me these abilities.  It is my responsibility and duty to use the gifts He has given me to help others”.

Jonel Maminta, RN, Intensive Care Nurse, 28 years of Service

Jonel has become a role model and mentor to her peers.  As a critical care nurse in the ICU, she is consistently someone that goes above and beyond the expected.  For example, she decided one day the unit could use new cubicle curtains.  She brought in her own sewing machine and personally created new curtains for the unit.  She also bakes and decorates a cake for every nurse, tech and housekeeper in the ICU on their birthday. 

Jonel is co-coordinator of our Mended Hearts Program and prepares heart healthy meals for the meetings and shares recipes to encourage healthy eating habits.  Jonel is president of the Philippine Nurses Association of Greater St. Louis, where she oversees charitable activities including food pantries, health screenings and medical missions.  Her ability to connect with patients and family members is extraordinary.  As a critical care educator, she has a special way of supporting family and patients in end-of-life decisions with compassion and grace.  Our new graduate nurses in our RN residency program named her the best mentor for her ability to lead, instruct, communicate and provide direction.

She is a consummate professional who does every chore with pride, excellence and thoroughness.  She makes it a point to round on all patients, identifying those at risk for falls, infections and wounds, and works diligently to ensure procedures are in place to improve their outcomes.  Jonel is not only a wonderful and gifted clinician but a truly remarkable woman.