People are ‘Adopting’ Health Care Heroes on the Frontlines

Heroes. There have been so many this past year. From first responders to essential workers we’ve seen heroes rise to the occasion throughout 2020. So how do you say thank you?

One woman set out to create a very special Facebook group to try to show the nurses of our country just how much they are appreciated and loved.

Christine Danderand, make up artist from Omaha, Nebraska, wanted to find a way to show those special medical professionals just how much of what they do on a day-to-day basis means. She created a Facebook group last month called Adopt A Nurse/ Healthcare Worker, and since then it’s grown by the thousands.

The page allows people to adopt the nurses and health care workers and show them a little extra love during a very stressful time. They are being gifted everything from slipper, snacks, to new comfort socks for work.

"We have physicians that are adopting entire units, nurses who are secretly adopting units in their own hospitals and we had nurses in New York City who adopted nurses here in Nebraska," she said. "I just had a thought to get my mom and her coworkers adopted and that we now have it happening to people across the country is unbelievable to me."

To participate, nurses and health care workers can post some information about themselves, minus their addreses for safety reasons, and a link to their special Amazon wish lists.

"We've got these people that go to work day in and day out, and they're exhausted, and they leave work in tears," Danderand told CNN. "And this is when they need the backing of all of us more than ever."

She said the page not only sparked a lot smiles, but also some new friendships with the healthcare workers connecting with each other for support coast to coast. “It's not just a gifting page anymore. It's something where they've got support from their peers," she said.

If you’re looking to adopt one of these amazing heroes you can click the link here to the Facebook page and find somebody to say “thank you” to. If you happen to be one of the incredible HEROES out there you can go to the page for instructions on how to set you profile up to be adopted.. and we thank you so very much for all you do.