A True Blessing

The person I would like to nominate for the "Who Is There For You" contest is Kristi.

September 9, 2007 was the worst day of my life and I have had many bad days since. I was at a theme park in Ohio for a company picnic with my mother, niece and nephew. As we were leaving the park my mom called home to let her husband know we were on our way back when he told her my sister Heather was in the hospital. We made several calls to the hospital to check on Heather and make sure she was ok with no success. Finally after about an hour of anguish my mom was able to get in touch with a supervisor of the nursing staff. She insisted that we exit the interstate before she would speak to my mother regarding my sister's condition. After safely exiting the interstate the nurse told my mother "I'm sorry we couldn't save her, your daughter is dead", these are words a mother should never have to hear. I will never forget the sound of my mother's scream when she was told those words. At this point we were still 2 1/2 hours away from home which made that the longest 2 1/2 hours I have ever experienced.

Kristi has been a god send during the last year. Kristi has many trials of her own that she is dealing with; her father is in the advanced stages of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in which he is completely paralyzed , unable to communicate yet fully aware of everything that is going on around him. He is trapped in his own body. As if that is not enough for one person to cope with she also struggles with depression due to her father's failing health, she is experiencing marital problems as well as finacial troubles, all the while she is raising three young children. I admire Kristi for all the strength and courage she demonstrates and the way she continues to go thru life day after day with a smile on her face.

When I lost my sister Kristi didn't think of herself at all and she put my needs first. She called my employer and got me set up with family medical leave so that my job was protected. She cleared her schedule to drive an hour out of her way to take me to the doctor because I didn't want to go alone, she even spoke on my behalf as I was to distraught and emotional to speak for myself. She was there for me to talk me thru my bad days and cried with me many times. She called to check on me everyday, sometimes several times a day, to make sure I was doing ok, to see if I needed anything and to see if there was anything she could do to help.

Over a year has passed and I still struggle with my sister's death everday, and Kristi continues to support me and help me thru the tough times. As we came close to the 1 year anniversary I was having a difficult time coping and I ended up losing my job due to an administrative error with my FMLA paperwork. I think Kristi was just as devastated as I was but again she did everything possible to help me thru another rough patch. She began searching the internet that very day for job opportunities that may work for me; she even made a phone call to one of her friends that happened to work in human resources regarding a position within her company that had been posted online. Because of Kristi, I actually ended up with a better paying job than the one I was terminated from.

I would not have been able to cope with this devastating time in my life if I didn't have Kristi there with me every step of the way. She is the most selfless individual I know. She means more to me than I can express; I am truly blessed to have her in my life

Misty, IN
Posted: October 16, 2008

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