Moises and Anna Machado
Like a classic horror story, this one starts on a dark and stormy night. Anna Machado, an RN in the Post-anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) at Parkridge Medical Center was home alone, watching TV just before 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night. Suddenly, a loud crack of thunder sounded and everything outside turned an eerie shade of blue.
The TV went out, but the electricity in the apartment remained on. Anna called her husband, Moises, to tell him the TV was likely broken, and while they were talking, Anna sensed that everything was not right in her apartment. Then she smelled smoke. As she searched for the source of the smell smoke began to fill the apartment, and Anna realized she had to get out.
“People who also lived in the building began knocking on doors and yelling that the building was on fire,” Anna remembers. “In just a few moments, the apartment was so full of smoke that I had to get on my hands and knees to breathe. I crawled to gather what I could and left the apartment.”
The Chattanooga Fire Department was dispatched to Anna’s apartment building at 10:08 p.m. and noted signs of charring on the side of the building. Following procedure, firefighters searched the building for signs of fire and cleared residents to return to their apartments. Unfortunately for Anna and Moises, firefighters had to create holes in the walls and ceiling of their apartment, and as it was raining heavily, this resulted in water damage to many of their belongings.
“None of our stuff was burnt, but there was a lot of water and smoke damage,” Anna said. “The apartment smelled like burning rubber and wire, and it was horrible. There was plaster and soot all over the house – to the point where, if you picked something up, there was an outline of it on the floor. I was overwhelmed and didn’t know what we would do.”
The Introduction of Hope
The night of the fire, Anna and Moises stayed with friends. The next day at work, her PACU team came together to help.
“My coworkers were amazing,” Anna said. “So many people offered us a place to stay, some brought in clothes for me because I didn’t have anything other than scrubs, some brought food and some brought gift cards to help replace some of the things that were damaged. My whole team really pulled together to support us.”
Along with helping Anna replace some necessities, her PACU team also reminded her about The Hope Fund, an employee-run and supported 501(c)3 charity aimed to help HCA employees and their families that are affected by financial hardship. The charity has helped many HCA employees recover from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, but it also assists people who have experienced a disruption due to extended illness or an injury, domestic abuse, death of a loved one, or other circumstances.
Anna’s coworkers suggested she apply for assistance, and within three days, money was in her bank account to help her and her husband find a new apartment and replace items they lost – including all the food in their refrigerator, freezer and pantry – after the lightning strike.
“The availability of something like The Hope Fund meant that we could move into a new place without starting out already behind,” Anna said. “The situation was already stressful enough, and The Hope Fund allowed us a sense of calm. We were able to settle into a new apartment without stressing out about how we were going to pay rent.”
As a PACU nurse, Anna cares for patients every day. She wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of compassionate care.
“Nurses have a mentality of being there for others, and I never thought about people being there for me, and that was really cool,” Anna said. “Donating to The Hope Fund can make a huge difference in someone’s life. It made a difference in mine.”
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