My sister Jeanette Manning has been a nurse for 35 plus years working long shifts, constantly on her feet aiding others while suffering from Charcot Foot due to diabetic complications. Most of her 35 years of service were night shifts at the same hospital, South Central Regional Hospital, in a small Mississippi town. During ten years of her career she also was full-time caregiver to her Mother who lived to the age of 97.
She tried desperately to work until her full retirement age so she could retire in an appropriate way to achieve Medicare with her dignity for time well spent. Now she has a $600 per month Cobra insurance premium and no income to support herself at this time. In the past, she has received awards for perfect attendance even while working with extreme pain. Recently she developed a diabetic wound that would not heal. She used all of her family and sick leave time while desperately trying to heal enough to go back to work again. She has experienced many hours of medically supervised in-home IV treatments and hour upon hour in a barbaric chamber. Unfortunately she didn’t heal before all avenues to retain her employment had been exhausted.
She has dedicated her life to the healing and helping of others. Now when she needs help, there are minimal resources for her to call upon for assistance. Her home needs repairs she is not physically capable of doing for herself or with family assistance.
There are many attributes of kindness my sister has shown others over the years. I feel it is time for her to somehow be recognized and or assisted in some way now that her health has deteriorated to a point she can’t continue to serve others.
