Touching Lives
Anna’s Story: Leading a Life of Love and Compassion for Others
Deer Path has a variety of people who live within its walls. All are from different socio-economical backgrounds, professions, cultures, etc. We’d like to highlight Anna Worth.
Anna was born in 1956 in Braddock, Pennsylvania and has lived an extraordinary life.
As a young religious woman, she worked on her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She worked at Misericordia Heart of Mercy South Side. There, she tirelessly worked for 15 years in the PICU, where she lovingly cared for newborn babies who were severely disabled. Her job was to feed, diaper, and hold these new babies so they knew they were loved. She comforted them constantly. These infants all had short lives and in their short lives, they taught Anna so much about death and about how precious life is.
Following the PICU, Anna spent 20 years at Misericordia Home North working with profoundly disabled adults, ages 18-21. She spent many years working with them in the workshop and in the community.
Anna came to us when it began to get increasingly difficult to get around her apartment and to care for herself. Her nurse at the time took Anna and her best friend to talk to Dick Durbin. He spoke on “Supportive Living”, where he mentioned a new community that had just been built, Deer Path of Huntley. She came for a tour, and the rest is history.
Anna loves that she can live here with her dog Max. She enjoys participating in the activities and is our number one resident volunteer. She helps anyone who needs help and makes friends easily. Anna also works hard to write over 1000 cards per year to senior citizens. She sends them cards as well as letters because she knows that it can be very lonely in a nursing home or in a memory care center. She believes that they need to know that there is someone who cares for them.
Looking over her life, Anna says that the thing she is the proudest of was the work she did in the PICU. The one word that Anna says describes her would be the word “Faith”. It takes a strong and loving heart to work with the patients and family members in the PICU and dedication to write so many cards and letters every year to bring a smile to the faces of those in nursing and memory care homes.
Tuniska’s Story: Embracing Life at Deer Path
Tuniska truly enjoys her life at Deer Path. She is a native of Joliet, IL. After high school, Tuniska attended Joliet Junior College to pursue a degree in nursing.
Before coming to Deer Path, Tuniska lived in a nursing home. When she toured Deer Path, she immediately liked the atmosphere where everyone made her feel welcome. She also liked that she had more freedom to live her life. Her favorite thing about Deer Path is the love she feels in the building and the comfort she feels from the staff.
Tuniska’s hobbies include doing crossword puzzles, adult coloring, crafts, and helping others. She enjoys the different activities that are available for her to do together with other residents. Tuniska helped to start a Card Game Night group that meets Wednesday through Sunday. She also enjoys Bingo, Crafts, and Nail Salon.
Cynthia’s Story: Being Herself
Cynthia, who goes by Cindy, is 58 years old. Approximately 1 ½ years ago, she felt she needed a change from where she had been living. That led her to make the decision to move to Deer Path.
Prior to moving to Deer Path, Cindy was employed at Walgreens, where she worked as a photo tech. Since moving to Deer Path, she has been actively involved in several activities and outings. She participates in Bingo and likes to work on her memory planner. Outings to Walmart are also on her list of activities.
The things that Cindy likes about living at Deer Path are the activities and the residents.
She is most proud of being herself. The one word that best describes her is “Happy”.