Meet Christina Eder, porter, Misericordia Community Hospital

With great loss can come incredible gain and that was the case for Christina Eder.

“My dad was very sick with a brain tumor and liver cancer,” remembers Christina. “When he died in my arms, I made the decision that I wanted to do something to help others.”

It was only a few months before Christina acted on that dream, starting at the Misericordia Community Hospital as a porter, transporting patients between departments to support health care aides, nurses and doctors.

“I absolutely love my job,” said Christina. “I love the people and I love Covenant Health.

“I never even thought of health care. I never thought I was good enough for health care but now being in health care for almost four years, it is my passion. It makes me happy if I can leave work knowing I made a difference and I made my patients smile.”

Christina is the model for Covenant’s mission of providing compassionate care for the whole person — body, mind and soul. She takes great pride in ensuring patients are comfortable and happy.

“To get them laughing, I always say, ‘no promises we’re not going to crash,’” said Christina. “Lots of times they’re scared, they’re alone or they’ve been there for a few hours, so if I can make them laugh and make them forget about the pain just for a minute, I’m going to do that.”

“Christina is dedicated to providing excellent care to the people we serve,” said Amanda Magee, manager environmental and portering services. “She has a warm, bubbly personality and always looks for ways to make those around her smile.”

Christina is one of 245 support staff within the environmental services and portering department, which includes a broad range of housekeeping and other services. The complex network of support staff at Misericordia includes many of the behind-the-scenes heroes who keep the hospital humming.

“During the short time the porters spend with each patient throughout the transport journey, they provide an extra level of personal, compassionate care,” said Amanda. “They take the time to ensure patients are comfortable, have everything they need, are warm enough and, when needed, simply offer a listening ear. These small but meaningful acts of kindness help reassure patients, reduce anxiety and contribute to a positive health care experience.”

Christina’s passion has made her memorable to patients and their families; she bursts with well-deserved pride while mentioning she often gets recognized outside of the hospital.

We all know that hospital stays are rarely easy, but it’s the passionate and caring professionals like Christina that help turn moments of uncertainty into moments of comfort when they’re needed the most.