BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Many of us use home health aides to take care of loved ones at home.
It is National Nurses Week. About 12 percent of registered nurses in the U.S. work in the field.
Sometimes, a random pairing can form a lifelong bond.
This is the story of an atypical teenager, and the nurse who dedicated her life to that girl’s survival.
Emily Bronk was 15 when she suffered a traumatic brain injury.
It left Emily paralyzed on her one side. But even paralysis couldn’t stop her, thanks to a nurse named Tamie Sturgis.
“I’m not bossy. I’m pushy. I push (Emily) to do the best she can do because I know she can do it,” said Sturgis.
It started with one day a week, but it became clear that Tamie was the kick-in-the-pants Emily dearly needed.
“Absolutely amazing. Tamie is a great role model,” Bronk said.
One day turned into five. 60 hours every week, every year, for a decade.
“She was with her every step of the way when she was learning how to walk again,” said Logan Wilkins, Director of Bayada Home Health Care.
Now 27, Emily works at an ice cream shop. She found the right fit, and Tamie found family.
Their bond was celebrated by Tamie’s colleagues at Bayada Home Health Care in Bethlehem on this National Nurses Day.
“I try to make her as independent as possible. If something falls on the floor, Tamie’s not going to pick it up. I have Emily pick it up, because she can,” explained Sturgis.
Emily has also become a vocal advocate for home healthcare at the Pennsylvania State House.
“Happy Nurses Week to all the nurses out there,” said Bronk.
One life poured into another, creating one unbreakable bond.