Farewell to Abby
Four years ago, the Forrest Spence Fund gained an incredible Program Director. Abby was a Child Life Specialist at Le Bonheur when she had a premature baby of her own. Suddenly, her world changed. She wanted to be there for her son as much as possible while also staying connected to the work she is passionate about. The Fund provided just that. Abby recalls that “from the beginning, I was drawn to the work of the FSF and the emphasis it places on the well-being of the entire family.”
Abby has enjoyed many things about the Fund. She has seen that the work done here “comes from a deeply genuine passion to make even the smallest difference for a family going through an unimaginable time...if there is a need that is not yet being addressed that we know will benefit families, we build the program from scratch and have it up and running in mere weeks. Hospital staff know that they can rely on us to help families.”
Throughout her four years with the Fund, Abby has gathered a plethora of unforgettable memories. One, in particular, was “during our Family Christmas Dinner. There was a family with a child who had been at Le Bonheur for an extended time and the parents came down to eat with their other children. The father waved me over and wanted to know about the Forrest Spence Fund and why we provided this meal to families. I sat with this family for about 30 minutes telling them all about the FSF, the mission, the programs we offer, etc. By the end of the conversation, the father was crying. He was so appreciative of the work of the FSF and what we do that he was sitting with his family, in a room filled with easily a hundred other people wiping tears from his eyes.”
Now, Abby is moving onto a new adventure as she becomes the Patient and Family-Centered Care Coordinator at St. Jude. Though we are saddened to see her go, we know Abby will serve the families of St. Jude with empathy, understanding, and hope day in and day out. Abby, thank you for the incredible service you have given to the Fund. We will always be cheering for you.