Miranda is an ICU nurse at Owosso Memorial. Born and raised in St. Johns, Miranda traveled often as a young woman, first for education and later to be of service to others in the Peace Corps.
Can you imagine being 23, going to live in Ukraine for two years? Arriving with the first task being to learn the language - and get used to life without running water or electricity?
Miranda credits her parent's willingness to be of help to others for her being open to this sort of experience. That and her desire for a break from schooling led to an incredible personal adventure.
After fulfilling her two year commitment to the Peace Corps, Miranda took advantage of the opportunity to visit multiple countries before returning to the US. One stop was Slovakia, where her paternal great-grandfather was born.
Once home, Miranda returned to school, deciding to pursue a nursing degree. While she thought she might take that degree and pursue more travel, she has instead settled comfortably at home. Married with four children, Miranda enjoys being here in St. Johns.
Miranda is a woman of commitment. Taking on challenges and seeing them through. One example being her decision to take on a Triathlon. This she says was before she started having her kids. She signed up, told everyone, bought a bike and jumped into training with a friend.
I see how her strong follow through has equipped her for the most recent challenge - that of being a front line medical worker in a global pandemic.
When it feels like some want to be done talking about Covid, nurses like Miranda don't have that option. Caring for patients with Covid is her job and here in September 2021, they're experiencing a wave of cases that have contributed to filling all of the beds at Owosso Memorial.
I admire and respect the work ethic that keeps her showing up shift after shift. Since the pandemic started, Miranda has battled personal concerns about catching Covid or bringing it home to her family. She has experienced over and over again patients who move relentlessly through the stages of covid's most severe outcomes.
To cope with the anxiety and depression common among health workers, Miranda has looked to her past love of running as well as art. Her artwork was displayed at this years Art Prize in Grand Rapids. We will have live video of her talking more about this on our Facebook page! Her art work for the event was a tribute to those who put their lives on the line!
I learned a lot about this amazing woman in a brief time, that she's easy to talk to, caring and compassionate. She's tough, full of determination and does what needs to be done. I'm deeply grateful that she's in the role she has chosen. I imagine her patients and fellow front liners are as well.
If you run into Miranda and feel the same way, I hope you'll tell her how much you appreciate her - both in her faithfulness as a nurse and in her creativity as an artist.