Media Contact: Michael Schwartzberg, GBMC Media Relations Manager

(O): 443-849-2126/Cell: 410-258-3465eMarch 2:]

GBMC Nursing Technician Learns Colleague Cared For Her Mother

As Cancer Patient Nearly Three Decades Ago

BALTIMORE, Md. –   March 27, 2008 –  It might be fate or destiny, or perhaps just an incredible coincidence, but during an orientation at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, a Parkville woman learned an incredible fact about the veteran nurse support technician mentoring her --- she had cared for the young woman’s mother almost three decades ago when she was a teenager being treated for eye cancer at the Towson hospital.

Christina Furst had been a geriatric nursing assistant in the hospital’s SubAcute Unit for a few years when she recently applied to be a nurse support technician in Unit 48 (Surgery).  Asked by the unit manager Eileen Skaarer why she wanted the job, Furst explained about her mother’s battle with cancer and the compassionate care she received while a patient at GBMC before passing away five years ago.  Skaarer hired Furst, and assigned longtime GBMC employee Norma Butts as her mentor.

On the second day of orientation this month, Furst confided in Butts that she was having a bad day because it was the fifth anniversary of her mother’s passing.   The mother’s name ‘rang a bell’ with Butts, and as the two talked, Furst learned Butts had actually cared for her mother 29 years ago.  “I was crying, she (Butts) was crying,” Furst said.  “It was an emotional moment but it really made me feel good that Norma remembered my mom.”

Furst and Butts are now working together caring for patients on Unit 48.  “It’s really come full circle,” Furst said.

Skaarer said Furst has been an excellent addition to the unit.  “I can’t help but believe that she decided to come here for a reason,” Skaarer said.  “A lot of times, we never know how or where our impact will be felt, but this is just remarkable.”

What makes the story even more extraordinary is that almost 30 years ago, clinicians doubted Furst’s mother would live long enough to have children, as the medical advances for treating her condition were not as advanced as they are today.

Furst said she is very much looking forward to a long and productive career and her goal is to attend a nursing program and become a registered nurse.   “I really want to help people when they are in a bad situation,” she said.  “Just like my mother was helped here.”

Editor’s Note:   Christina Furst and Norma Butts are available together for interviews Tuesday, April 1 or Wednesday, April 9 on the unit.  Please contact Michael Schwartzberg or Erica DiPaolo in advance if you are interested.  

About GBMC
GBMC includes Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), Central Maryland’s leading community hospital; Hospice of Baltimore, which provides comfort and care to patients with life-limiting illnesses; and the GBMC Foundation, which supports the GBMC mission by managing fundraising efforts.  The 298-bed Medical Center, located on a beautiful suburban campus, serves nearly 22,000 inpatients annually and provides approximately 60,000 emergency room visits. For more information, go to www.gbmc.org          

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