Personal experience, positivity inspire caregiver to make a difference

By Kirsten Stokes

To have a giving heart like Christie Amos takes experiences that make you appreciate life and others.

Amos, a patient care representative in the cardiac cath lab at Mosaic Life Care, routinely receives shout-outs from patients for her outstanding care. For her service, in September Amos received the highest honor any health care worker can get at Mosaic, the Servant Heart Award.

“I just lost it,” Amos said. “I was so excited, so excited just to be nominated, and for people to know and appreciate me is amazing.”

Amos said that because she is a patient care representative, she had no idea that people would nominate her, let alone that she would win the award. She attributes her success to the teamwork and effort of others at Mosaic.

“It’s the whole team,” Amos said. “I got the Servant Heart Award and it has my name on it, and I was nominated, but it’s the whole of Mosaic.”

She has a way of calming a patient’s nerves before a biopsy because she has first-hand experience. As a Stage 3 breast cancer survivor, Amos went through 26 weeks of chemotherapy and 33 radiation treatments followed by 10 breast augmentation surgeries. She said that the perspective she can bring to patients now makes all the trials and changes worth it.

“When patients come in for a biopsy, I know what they’re feeling,” Amos said. “So I try to come in here and faithfully sit down with each and every one of them every day.”

As she continues her work in the cath lab at Mosaic, Amos is encouraged to use positivity and personal experience to be a breakthrough for patients who might not have someone to hold when they get the news that they are sick.

“I come into work every day with a smile on my face and a good attitude every single day because today somebody might get horrific news,” Amos said. “I want them to know that we’re here, you matter, the patient’s family matters.”

Off the clock, Amos serves at food kitchens and there she brings the same positivity to families who may be down on their luck and just need someone to listen.

“Even though my story has technically, I say, ended because I hope I’m cancer-free, I’m here for a reason and I believe my reason is to tell people and to keep encouraging people to know you can come in and with a bad attitude but don’t leave with that,” Amos said.