During the week of Christmas, Shameik visited a patient’s home and encountered a heartbreaking situation marked by extreme poverty and hunger. Multiple children and adults were living in the home, yet the refrigerator was empty. The only food present was a single package of cookies, referred to as “Daddy’s cookies.” As the children asked for something to eat, their mother, who is bed and chair bound, had nothing to offer them except a cookie.

The family lives in a rental trailer that does not have a ramp, making it difficult and unsafe for the mother to enter or exit the home. Shameik left the visit with a heavy heart and a deep sense of concern for the family’s well-being.

Determined to help, Shameik shared the family’s needs with her church, which then adopted the family for Christmas. Through this effort, she was able to stock their pantry and refrigerator with food and provide gifts for the children. She also contacted community resources to help build an access ramp so the patient could safely leave the home. This is the heart of a nurse, the true embodiment of the term Naven, and a powerful example of the spirit and meaning of Christmas. Shameik is an exceptional nurse and an incredible person who consistently goes above and beyond for her patients.