Mattie Stepanek Caregiving Scholarship

2009 Winners

Rosalynn Carter, Tammy Willard, Laura Granberry, Teresa Yzenski, Stacy Creighton 

 

Tammy L. Willard, Clarence, NY – Primary caregiver to her son Edgar, who has global developmental delays due to a rare metabolic disorder, Tammy is pursuing her PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Developmental Delays in hopes of providing better support to him in his development. A Special Education teacher for years, Tammy states that she never truly understood what her students and their families were experiencing and what support they really needed until her own son was born with special needs. Her goal is for parents, teachers, therapists and other community members to see the potential to build healthy foundations for every child when provided with the right kinds of experiences; to prevent, identify and treat children with developmental, communication and learning disorders. Tammy has also recently provided care to her husband, who was diagnosed last year with a rare aggressive soft tissue cancer that is now in remission.

Teresa Yzenski, Ocilla, GA – Teresa is an RN certified in Inpatient Obstetrics as well as a Neonatal Resuscitation Instructor. She has been practicing in obstetrics for more than 18 years, currently employed at Dodge County Hospital in Eastman, Georgia. Suffering the devastating loss of her first grandchild at age 8 months due to a rare brain disorder, Teresa firmly believes that anyone who has a physical disability is precious and has been created by God for a purpose. She witnessed first hand the caring compassion demonstrated to her granddaughter by the doctors and nurses, who were gentle and talked to the child as if she understood, never giving up hope. Teresa feels that through the gift of service and compassion, one is able to provide love and hope to others, and she fully embraces that role. Enrolled at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, she wants to become a Certified Nurse Midwife so that she can help disadvantaged people in rural Georgia who may have no other place to turn.

Stacy Creighton, Athens, GA – A mother of 2 pursuing her BSN at the Medical College of Georgia, Stacy hopes to work at a local area hospital in adult care upon her graduation next year. Stacy credits her mother, a retired RN who dedicated her life to geriatric care and taking care of her aging parents, with being her foremost inspiration. With her mother now also caring for Stacy’s father, who suffered a devastating brain injury 3 years ago, Stacy and her mother have struggled to locate information, tools and local support to help with the demands of caregiving. Feeling a need to do something proactive to support her mother and other caregivers, Stacy had located the existence of a national program to train and support family caregivers in important skills. Currently, there were no volunteers available to launch and run the program in Northeast Georgia. She approached one of her professors about her plans to do so. Receiving encouragement and professional support for the project, Stacy is collaborating with a friend in the Social Work Masters Program at the University of Georgia. Their bi-collegiate effort and collaborative study will be launched this summer and they will begin training caregivers in the fall.

Robert J. Johansen, Pateros, WA – Working in Emergency Medical Services since 1997, Robert served as an Army Medic for 8 years, has been a volunteer fireman, and is currently a Paramedic. Robert became intimately acquainted with the pressures of caregiving when his first child was born in January with severe complications that required hospitalization, airway and ventilator support. His wife, a Surgical RN, had to temporarily take leave from her job in order to provide round-the-clock care for several weeks, placing financial strain on the family. Recently admitted into the MEDEX NW Physician Assistant Program at the University of Washington, Robert was ready to put his plans on hold if necessary to provide for his family. Upon completion of the program, Robert plans to return to the underprivileged rural communities of North Central Washington to work as a General Practitioner in a community with limited access to healthcare. In an effort to continue to be a positive role model to his family and community, he also plans to continue his 14 years of military service through service in the National Guard.