08/29/2025
A moment for your feed with a unit’s thoughtful surprise that brought tears to new mom who returned to school this month as a Kindergarten teacher.
The Pediatric Cardiac Care Unit (PCCU) at Methodist Children’s Hospital surprised the mother of a patient, who has been in the care of the hospital since birth, with baskets full of school supplies for her classroom and students.
Amanda Korzekwa had spent every day in the PCCU by the bedside of her baby, Paisley, who received two open heart surgeries at Methodist Children’s Hospital. When the unit leaders, learned Amanda was not able to do any back to school shopping to get her classroom ready for the school year, they reached out to Tricia, a nurse on the unit and former Kindergarten and early childhood teacher.
“My Unit Manager, Barb, and Unit Director, Miranda, reached out to me with this idea of gathering items for a basket for this particular mother who was preparing to return to work as a kindergarten teacher, said Tricia Westerman, RN. “They asked if I would be willing to help, and I was more than happy to do so.”
Within a few days, the unit had collected a large amount of supplies.
“Seeing the outpouring of generosity and thoughtfulness from our unit was just beautiful,” Westerman said. “I did not expect to have such high participation. I had hoped to fill one basket, and we more than tripled that goal! When we presented the items, she was speechless and moved to tears. It filled our hearts to be able to connect with this patient's mother and family in a meaningful way.”
Westerman describes the unit as one of compassion, integrity, and excellence. She says it’s evident in the daily interactions with patients, families, and with one another. “We work hard at the bedside to connect with our patients and their families,” Westerman added.
With Methodist Healthcare’s mission statement of “serving humanity to honor God,” Westerman says the PCCU is a direct reflection of this mission. “We are honored to have this opportunity to serve, and we continually search for additional avenues of service,” said Westerman. “It is such an honor to be called to work at the bedside, and I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing unit.”
Learn more about our Pediatric Cardiology services at: https://www.sahealth.com/specialties/pediatrics/pediatric-cardiology
