Meet Our Healthcare Heroes!
2020 Healthcare Hero Recipients
During these unprecedented times, our healthcare providers and first responders are working around the clock to make a difference in the well-being of our communities. The NEWPRO family is forever grateful for their tireless service. To show our gratitude, we are giving away FIVE NEW BATH OR SHOWER RENOVATIONS to our community Healthcare Heroes as our way to say, “thank you”! These heroes were nominated by their peers.
Recipient #5: Nichole from Weymouth, MA!
Check out our Q&A with Nichole & her door renovation here
Meet Nichole Berkery, our NEWPRO Healthcare Hero award recipient from Weymouth MA! Nichole was nominated by her younger sister Christine to receive the NEWPRO Healthcare Heroes gift.
Nichole works at Beth Israel hospital in Plymouth, MA as an ICU nurse. She and her husband recently moved back to Massachusetts after working as a cardiac ICU nurse in New York. Through this challenging time, Nichole continues to provide patients with compassion and warm bedside manner.
She has been working the frontlines of this pandemic since it hit Massachusetts. When she returns home after her shifts, she immediately heads for the shower to decontaminate herself.
Nichole and her husband recently bought a home and their entry door has been giving them some challenges. They will greatly benefit from a door renovation and cannot wait to build the entry door of their dreams. We are honored for the opportunity to bring some joy and relief back to Nichole and her husband. We are truly grateful for Nichole’s dedication to her patients, as well as our community. She is truly a NEWPRO Healthcare Hero!
Recipient #4: Nomiki from Stoughton, MA!
Check out our Q&A with Nomiki & her shower renovation here
Meet Nomiki Vallas, our NEWPRO Healthcare Hero award recipient from Stoughton, MA! Nomiki was nominated by her husband Justin to receive the NEWPRO Healthcare Heroes gift of a NEWPRO bath or shower remodel.
Nomiki is a healthcare hero at Tufts Medical Center as a cardiac floor nurse. During this difficult time, the floor she works on has been turned into a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit. Even though her specialty is cardiac care, she quickly adapted to taking on COVID ICU cases. Her husband described this time of change as very emotional and stressful for Nomiki. He witnessed her selfless nature taking over and she embraced the challenge with strength and courage. Her nomination depicted her as a very compassionate human being describing her as someone who has an amazing bedside manner – comforting patients and their families during a time when they are not able to be together. She goes above and beyond by providing more than just physical medical care. She has FaceTimed patients’ family members with them as well as played music to lift her patients’ spirits. Her goal is to comfort and bring smiles to those in her care.
Nomiki and Justin have been dreaming of renovating their only shower in their home that they bought last year. Currently, their bath has so many issues it causes more stress than relaxation. They will greatly benefit from a shower renovation. She cannot wait to come home and wash away the day’s stress and we cannot wait to deliver that gift of comfort!
We are honored for the opportunity to bring some joy and relief back to Nomiki and her husband. We are truly grateful for Nomiki’s dedication to our community. She is truly a NEWPRO Healthcare Hero!
Recipient #3: Jerri Lynn from Norfolk, MA!
Check out our Q&A with Jerri Lynn & her shower renovation here
Meet Jerri Lynn Nordstrom, our NEWPRO Healthcare Hero award recipient from Norfolk, MA. Jerri Lynn was nominated by her friend Allison to receive the NEWPRO Healthcare Heroes gift of a NEWPRO bath or shower remodel.
Jerri Lynn is a registered nurse at Norwood Hospital where her peers look to her for knowledge, mentorship, and inspiration. Allison wrote that Jerri Lynn described the pandemic as a real call to duty and instead of complaining about the situation, she provides guidance and advice on how to mentally and physically withstand all the challenges being dealt with during the crisis. Jerri Lynn was also described as having a great ability to diffuse agitated patients with her special care. As fellow nurses have become compromised and unable to work, Jerri Lynn has volunteered to cover extra shifts for uninterrupted care to the community.
In addition to being a nurse answering the call of duty, she also answers her primary call of duty as a single mother of three children. Always determined, even prior to being a nurse, she achieved her degree while working full-time. When returning home from her shifts, Jerri Lynn takes all decontamination precautions and self isolates to protect her family. A new shower renovation has been a dream of hers for years and will be a great improvement in her bathroom!
We are honored for the opportunity to bring some joy and relief back to Jerri Lynn and her family. We are truly grateful for Jerri Lynn’s dedication to our community. She is truly a NEWPRO Healthcare Hero!
Below is a “before” picture of her shower…stay tuned for the “after” from the NEWPRO team!
Recipient #2: Jennifer from Melrose, MA!
Check out our Q&A with Jennifer & her new shower renovation here
Meet Jennifer Cummings, our NEWPRO Healthcare Hero award recipient from Melrose, MA. Jennifer was nominated by her aunt Marilou, a retired RN, to receive the NEWPRO Healthcare Heroes gift of a NEWPRO bath or shower remodel.
Jennifer is a US Air Force Registered Nurse veteran who currently works at Mass General Hospital in the Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit. Jennifer is the single mother of two teenage boys – Nicholas and Andrew. There have been many losses in Jennifer’s life including the loss of her father at an early age and the loss of her mom to Lung Cancer. Despite the challenges of single motherhood, Jennifer is described as tenacious with a loving personality. She credits her military training for her expertise in the crisis management she faces today both personally and professionally. She is working 12-hour night shifts so she can be available for her boys during the day.
A new bath will be a great improvement in her bathroom for her and her boys!
We are honored for the opportunity to bring some joy and give back to Jennifer and her boys. We are truly grateful for Jennifer’s dedication and commitment to our community and to our country as a USAF RN veteran. She is truly a NEWPRO Healthcare Hero!
Below is a “before” picture of her shower…stay tuned for the “after” from the NEWPRO team!
Recipient #1: Vanessa from Norwell, MA!
Check out our Q&A with Vanessa & her shower renovation here
Meet Vanessa O’Leary, our Healthcare Hero recipient from Norwell, MA. Vanessa started her career as a nurse and is now a nurse practitioner working at Mass General Hospital since 2012. She is on the frontlines in the ICU working shifts that extend 13 and 14 hours long, taking care of the Covid-19 patient population.
Vanessa’s husband Jon nominated her based on her current role but also based on the many other heroic selfless acts of kindness throughout the time that he has known her. In addition to taking care of Covid-19 patients during this current crisis, her past includes being a bone marrow donor for a stranger – a 52-year-old man – who became extended family. She gave him the gift of an extended life that lasted six years beyond what could have been. While coping with the loss of her family friend, the pandemic hit, and Vanessa got her call to duty.
Beyond her duty as a nurse practitioner, Vanessa had been training for the 124th Boston Marathon with a goal to raise $10,000 for the MGH Emergency Response Fund – a charity that helps to increase testing, medical supplies, protective equipment, and advanced research efforts to find an effective treatment for COVID. The Boston Marathon has been cancelled and is now being held as a virtual event.
The COVID crisis has certainly changed course for Jon and Vanessa beyond the marathon. Jon and Vanessa were married in September and were planning an April honeymoon to San Francisco and Hawaii but due to limitations on travel and mandatory quarantine restrictions, they had to cancel until a later date. In lieu of their trip, and for all the reasons mentioned above, Jon submitted Vanessa’s story for consideration to receive a shower remodel to provide an improved bathing experience and a shower or bath she can look forward to at the end of the day – hassle-free!
We are honored for the opportunity to bring some joy and give back to Vanessa and her family, including her dog, Bromley. We are truly grateful for Vanessa’s dedication and commitment to our community. She is truly a NEWPRO Healthcare Hero!
Below is a “before” picture of her shower…stay tuned for the “after” from the NEWPRO team!
