Diane Wine, Portage, MI, is 71 years old and enjoys life, pastel colors, Mackinaw Island Fudge ice cream and time with her grandchildren. Her 9-year-old granddaughter says, “Grandma makes me laugh.” She started out as a hospital candy striper then worked for 25 years at the hospital as a DCW in different departments including the […]
Damien Sheppard, Lansing, MI. Age 37, Damien has a degree in biochemistry, works as a lab manager in a plant biology lab, is an avid bicyclist, gardener and reader. He values the relationship with his clients, the flexibility that allows him to work around his lab job, and feeling that he is contributing to society […]
Mellisa Bobnock, Iron River, MI., Certified Nursing Assistant, enjoys being at home with family and gardening. She has been a home care worker with the same agency for 16 years. She got into it because she wanted to help people, enjoyed working with older adults, and discovered she loved the one-on-one care and relationships that […]
Martha and Hellen Kwant, Lansing, MI. Mother and daughter are both home care workers. Martha, a retired social worker, says, “Momma taught us from being knee high to boll weevils that we take care of the elderly…You have a warmth that very often turns into love for them, and you’re going to want the best […]
Alisa Curtis, Traverse City, MI. A member of the Odawa nation, Alisa started in DCW work 8 years ago when her parents needed more help and her mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Like most DCWs, Alisa states the wages are too low. Other household income makes it financially possible to work as a DCW. […]
Rachel Esch, Lansing, MI was a Miracle Network Child, born in 1989 with a bone disorder called Hemihypertrophy. Her medical costs were covered and the nurses inspired her own desire to be a nurse. She is a certified nursing assistant, nearing graduation from nursing school and works as a PCA for income and experience working […]
Diane Saari, Kingsford, MI and Donna Aberly, Crystal Falls, MI. Both women have been DCWs for over 20 years. They entered the field to supplement their husband’s income with some “extra money” and have no plans to quit because “It makes us happy.” In their early 70s, they still provide a full range of care […]
Kevin Kitchel, RN, Lansing, MI studied for a career in music recording, did computer work for Linex Systems, and worked for the Michigan Senate but didn’t feel passionate about any of it. His girlfriend, a nurse, inspired him to go back to school and he decided to finally follow advice that his grandmother, an anesthesiologist, […]
