One patient gets the prom of her dreams
For Leah Westrick, spending weeks in the hospital with a severe bacterial infection was bad enough. But when the prom queen candidate learned she would miss her senior prom, it was especially devastating.
The 18-year-old’s Community North nurses—including Joyce Mongin, R.N.; Stephanie Schonhoff, R.N.; and Amy Sprague, R.N.—were well aware of that emotional pain. “Joyce called me asking if there was anything we could do for Leah, and immediately we just started planning a prom,” says concierge Joni Brattain.
“We wanted to make it as much like her prom as possible,” Brattain says. The prom planners consulted Fishers High School about decorations and invited the patient’s prom party of 16 to dinner at Community North. The Community Health Network Foundation helped with funds for the dinner, photography and Mardi Gras décor. Community North executive chef Brian McKee prepared salad in a parmesan bowl, filet mignon, sour cream mashed potatoes, spring vegetables and a three-layer fudge cake.
|
This SlideShowPro photo gallery requires the Flash Player plugin and a web browser with JavaScript enabled.
|
The patient’s ultimate surprise was the arrival of her principal, who crowned her prom queen and Hulecki king. The coronation was videotaped and shown later that evening at the prom.
The prom queen shared her exceptional patient experience story with local reporters. “They’re so great planning all this for me and surprising me,” she told WRTV. “I can’t say how much this means to me.”
It meant a lot to all involved, according to Ryan Chelli, the foundation’s director of philanthropic marketing. “This is a great example of how donor investments can directly impact the lives of our patients and families." Listen to Leah’s story.
