PORTSMOUTH — For this week’s Everyday Hero, I went out to Portsmouth because not one, not two, but three incredible social workers at Edmarc were nominated for all of the amazing work that they do.
“No one compares to the staff that we have here,” said Debbie Stitzer-Brame, the executive director at Edmarc.
Stitzer-Brame sat down with me to tell me about three of their social workers making a difference for families in Hampton Roads.
“They're behind the scenes doing the heavy lifting,” she said “And they do it because they've got huge hearts. And they're so good at what they do.”
You see, Edmarc is a pediatric hospice and palliative care program.
They provide families with the best healthcare available-at no cost.
“We're very fortunate here at Edmarc to have Abby, Brittany and Megan, said Stizer-Brame. "And I can't, there's no words to describe the impact that the that the three of them make in the lives of children and families in this region.”
“You can't make this piece of their life better, I feel like you can just make them feel less alone,” said one of those nominees, Abigail Gellene-Beaudoin, a medical social worker at Edmarc.
Abby Gellene-Beaudoin, Brittney Twisdale and Megan Gillispie are those special nominees.
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And these three ladies are especially empathetic at what they do because they have walked the same roads of grief and loss as the people they help.
“My first son was stillborn,” said the bereavement program director at Edmarc, Megan Gillispie
“When I was in high school, my friend Meghan was cared for by Edmarc,” said Abby Gellene-Beaudoin.
“I had two nieces, Angelica and Diamond that were taken care of by Edmarc. They had Tay Sachs disease,” said Brittney Twisdale, another medical social work at Edmarc.
Their personal experiences shape how they help others navigate their own.
“After we lost our son, what I realized I needed was somebody to companion me within my grief, not fix it, not make it better, but just be able to be present with me,” said Gillispie. “And it's an honor to be able to be that for other families.”
“When you tell people what you do, they think it's a very sad job,” said Twisdale. "And they're like, 'oh my gosh, that must be awful.' And you sound weird when you say, 'Well, no, I love my job.' But we really do. I think it's a passion. I think it's really important to be able to support these families. And it really is an honor and a privilege to do it.”
“I'm just so lucky to get to know the families and kids,” said Gellene-Beaudoin. “They're such cool kids and families are so you know, welcoming to just welcome us into their home in such a, you know, emotional tender time. You know, I feel really lucky that we're able to do that.”
Watch a previous Everyday Hero: Virginia Aquarium's 'deep-sea CSI' volunteer is an Everyday Hero
Gellene-Beaudoin, Twisdale and Gillispie honor their past losses through their work today; supporting families as best they can, in every way they can.
It’s easy to see why they were nominated for all their work, so we decided to surprise them with their awards..
“It's a huge honor,” said Stitzer-Brame. "And they should be recognized every day."
So, if you know someone doing the right thing when no one is looking –we want to know!! Nominate them for an Everyday Hero award!!
