Martha Townsend

We got an urgent message about the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. They were short-staffed and needed nurses. I said, ‘OK, let’s go.’ It’s a little thank you in return. I was an LVN there while my kids were little. I was scared at first and didn’t know what to expect. But once we saw all those elderly, vulnerable people needing help, all those fears went out the window. Some of them hadn’t eaten or dressed. We worked as fast as we could and got them comfortable and gave them a keepsake — a teddy bear or photo of their loved one. We knew that this was their home. It brought back memories of my dad. Before he passed away, he told me, ‘You’re going to be a nurse. You have the love and personality to be a nurse.’ That stayed in my mind for a long time. Yesterday, I was like, ‘Dad, I did this.’ It reinforced my love of what I do for a living. It’s not going to work, but going to what I love to do.