Gina’s known as someone who goes above and beyond for her patients – most notably with the exceptional care she provided to a patient who was diagnosed with malignant neoplasm of the cerebellum. When Gina met him, they bonded immediately. Despite working hard to improve his condition and the treatments he was receiving, Gina’s patient’s condition continued to deteriorate as his cancer progressed.
In September 2020, MRI studies showed that there was a significant progression of the disease. Gina’s patient developed increased weakness, sensory deterioration, and became more fatigued. His family reached out to Memorial Sloan Kettering for alternative treatment options while he continued his chemotherapy treatments and underwent surgery. All efforts to help treat the cancer failed and he returned to St. Mary’s, under hospice home care.
After he was admitted to hospice home care, his insurance company stopped paying for St. Mary’s home care. This placed his home care in jeopardy. Despite the lack of insurance, Gina continued caring for him while knowing that she would not be incentivized for her time. Gina spent countless hours with him and his mother offering support and care, which were appreciated by him and his family.
During this time period, and with Gina’s pleas to the insurance company to pay for her patient’s home care and the help of the entire St. Mary’s Home Care team, the insurance company gave approval for Gina to continue to treat her patient. Gina’s compassion, empathy, and eventually sympathy showed that Gina goes above and beyond in caring and supporting her patients while providing comfort care. Gina has been nominated for the Big Hero award by her coworkers.
