Yale New Haven Hospital team will ride Closer to Free in memory of beloved nurse

One Closer to Free team of Yale New Haven Health clinicians is changing its name — and adding a special reason to ride.

The group is honoring nurse Jackie Jermine, who spent 20 years caring for patients at Yale New Haven Health hospitals in New Haven.

“She’s one of the nicest people you would meet on our service,” said Shilpa Mistry, who worked with Jermine. “She had a lot of heart. She had a great smile that lit up the room.”

Sheyla Marranca said Jermine had a way of making patients and coworkers feel at ease.

“You felt immediately comfortable with her and able to talk through anything,” Marranca said. “You always kind of left the room really feeling better after talking to her.”

In 2022, Jermine became a patient herself after she was diagnosed with leukemia. Colleagues rallied around her during her treatment, visiting her at the hospital and supporting her in her journey, until her death in January.

Now, team “Hospitalist Surge Cyclers,” is team “Jackie Surges On,” a nod to the special care they give patients when there’s a “surge” in hospitalizations, and to the dedicated care that Jermine was known for.

“Really offering support to those patients, knowing that, you know, even though they may not currently be able to fight for themselves, we’re here to fight for them and support them, and really just trying to do that in her honor,” Marranca said.

Team Jackie Surges On has about seven members and is nearing its goal of raising $5,000.

“You, you know, when you’re doing this, all of the money goes directly to patient care,” Marranca said. “And I don’t think we necessarily understood it until talking to those that were going through treatment, going through the ride, and why it was so important to them.”

The team plans to ride 25 miles in Closer to Free on Saturday, Sept. 19.

“Even strangers will be like, come on, let’s go. You can do this if they see that you’re struggling. People will pull over and, you know, see if you need help,” Marranca said.

This year’s ride is expected to carry a mix of emotions for Jermine’s friends and colleagues.

“It’s just all sorts of feelings, all sorts of emotions. And really, the atmosphere is what gets you through,” Marranca said. “And having Jackie in mind this year is going to be the extra push that’s really going to get us through.”

Jermine never rode Closer to Free, but her friends think she would be proud to see them ride for her.

“I would hope that she’d be super supportive of all of us doing this for her,” Mistry said. “Especially in her honor this year.”

Source Link