CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Thanks to the support of Parkridge East Hospital’s Labor and Delivery manager Bridget Hayes and many other staff members, Parkridge East Environmental Services Technician Thelma Adams will board a flight to Malaysia on December 27th to participate in a mission trip and scatter her late husband Bob’s ashes in the place where he conducted mission work for many years.
Adams, her son Rob and her husband Bob were active missionaries in south Asia for some time and participated in several missions in Malaysia. The Adams family's missions included working at an interfaith adventure camp for Muslim and Christian youth, as well as efforts to curb child trafficking. When Bob died of cancer four years ago, Adams thought her days of missionary work were over. During a recent conversation with Hayes, Adams mentioned that her son planned to go on another mission to Malaysia with his family at the end of the year, but she didn’t plan on joining them. “I knew that the flight was too expensive and the time investment too great for me to take off work to join them,” noted Adams.
Hayes heard the story and wondered how she could help Adams get to Malaysia to honor Bob’s memory. “I wanted to help, but I didn’t know how to make it happen. Fortunately, I was able to meet Thelma’s son when he visited the hospital - I pulled him aside and explained that I wanted to help her make the journey, and he gave me the information to book a flight,” explains Hayes. When Hayes purchased Adams’ plane tickets, she was able to get Adams on the same flight that the rest of her family was taking—another small miracle, considering that the tickets were booked some time apart.
When the Labor & Delivery and Mother/Baby departments found out about Adams’ story, they decided to help raise money to cover the cost of her flight as well as other travel and in-country expenses. To date, they have raised $600 towards a goal of $2,000. Parkridge East Environmental Services Director Jimmy West helped Adams make sure that she would have enough paid time off to make the trip.
The 27-hour journey from Chattanooga to south Asia and the two and a half weeks in Malaysia will require stamina, so Parkridge East Receiving’s Sheila White is helping Adams build strength by working out with her at a local gym. “Sheila has me running for miles!” notes Adams with a smile.
“I am just overwhelmed with the generosity of my coworkers—I thank God for Bridget and for everyone who is helping me make this journey,” says Adams. “This is an amazing gift and I am so grateful!”
“I am so happy to help Thelma, and so excited that we could make this happen,” says Hayes. “We all look forward to hearing about her trip when she gets back.” For more information or to contribute to the Send Thelma To Malaysia fund, contact Alison Counts at (423) 495-1835.
About Parkridge East
A facility of Parkridge Medical Center, 128-bed Parkridge East Hospital in East Ridge provides a full range of medical surgical services such as orthopedics and robotic surgery in addition to the obstetrical programs and women’s services for which the hospital is best known. The BirthPlace, a department of Parkridge East, includes a 22-bassinet Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery and beautiful Labor and Delivery suites. The hospital also features a 24-hour Emergency Department and advanced imaging services. For more information about Parkridge East, visit ParkridgeEastHospital.com or call MedLine at (800) 242-5662.