Celebrate Olivia

Privileged to feel her spirit…

Celebrate Olivia

It’s called the Spirit of Mercy Award. That’s what Olivia Chacon will receive in October from her employer, Mount St. Rita. I’ve never met Olivia, but I have followed her for years on Facebook. Her fiancé, Mike Rossi, is a classmate of mine from high school days, and the magic of social media has brought us into contact once again.

How delighted I was to see Mike find his Olivia, and for Olivia to fine her “mi amore”. Photogenic doesn’t begin to describe how the camera loves Olivia, and soon I was using her image as she and Mike went on weekend dating excursions. I loved how they found nature’s hidden parts of our beautiful state, and soon, almost every weekend I would post an Olivia photo – thick black hair framing her beauty with a caption, “Where’s Olivia?” on my “Discover Beautiful Rhode Island” page, the sister page to RINewsToday.com. And I’d watch the guesses pop up.

After about a year, Olivia and Mike were posting photos much closer to home, at local restaurants, on the deck, at their dining table. I sensed something wasn’t quite right. Maybe there was trouble in their paradise?

And then the photo came – Olivia going for a test, at a hospital, then with a hat on…eyes down, and the inevitable emoji on comment posts -. What was challenging this beautiful woman? It was confusing because there was still the photo of Olivia at work, side by side at Mount St. Rita, with her Mike. Nurses, one relieving the other from shift to shift.

For a few years now, we’ve all watched Olivia’s path. Her hair is short and punky. Her hair gets longer; shorter. Her head is shaved. Scarves and hats delight. Her natural beauty shining even brighter! Never a full smile, because that’s not Olivia – her smile is connected to her eyes, and seen as one – it’s an expression, a funny secret, a silly moment, a sad pondering, a tired, yet always hopeful playfulness, a look of love…

“As the award states, despite her illness, she rarely misses a shift and she leaves that part of her life at the door. When anyone – families, staff, and patients – come to her unit it’s quite evident that this is her unit. She is able to run the unit comprehensively with a steadfast gentleness. It’s her turf and she is able to establish remarkable relationships with the residents and families. They love her. Objectively she is details oriented and that is indicated by among other things, a perfect state survey on her unit. Many times she’ll clock out and come back up to finish paperwork or meet with a family member. In my 23 years, she’s the best bedside nurse I’ve ever work with. I’m her relief at 3 pm. A couple of families refer to us as the dream team. But trust me, it’s her. I just follow her lead. Her ethics and dedication rub off on other staff. She knows her patients better than anyone. Obviously it’s her therapy as well.

She shows up every day, and only occasionally takes time off for treatment and appointments, but actually works through the side effects. She will try to schedule her own appointments so she can miss as little of work as possible. She’ll work all weekend. Her work is the quality of life she’s achieved and asked for. She measures her successes and failures in terms related to her ability to be with her patients. I run a close second though – .”

On October 23^rd, people will gather to “Celebrate Olivia” with the 2019 Spirit of Mercy Award. But beyond that event at Mount St. Rita, will be those of us who see her beguiling smile, and follow “Olivia and Michael” on their weekend jaunts to simple places, and even when they fly off to sunny climates. Every picture is the epitome of hope, of love, and of the power of living a good life. And we are privileged to feel her spirit in our own lives.