Where Rocks and Angels Meet (and maybe a few flamingos too) |
“Every once in a while in life, if we’re lucky enough,
we meet these special people, who seem to be touched by angels, and have the unique ability to impact lives wherever they go.” ~Dwayne Johnson, The Rock
Stacy Miller – The Mountain Shadows Rock By Sheryl Wilde
The special person Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, refers to in the quote above, is a young man with Down syndrome that Johnson grew up with. The two lived together at one point and became as close as brothers. The young man was a weightlifter, eventually lifting more than double his body weight, and becoming a Special Olympics Champion. Johnson credits this Special Olympian as being his inspiration in weightlifting, and in life.
While there may be some debate as to the origin of the nickname – some say it was The Rock of Gibraltar, some say it was Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, of WWE fame – the meaning is clear: Stacy Miller, the Mountain Shadows Rock, is one of the foundational pillars of the Mountain Shadows Family, providing unwavering strength and support to our mission, our residents and our staff for nearly 38 years.
And, on this Thankful Thursday, as we read the story below and honor the service and kinship of Stacy Miller, our Mountain Shadows Rock, perhaps we may discover a very special place, where a Rock and angels meet – and impact all of the lives they touch. |
Stacy Miller, RN, The Mountain Shadows Rock, and resident, Stacy Bibb. |
Stacy remembers the words to this day, “I’m just like you. I’m just trapped in my body.”
“John Braga was a young man living in Birch house, and he required total care,” says Stacy. “And he said to me, ‘I can’t control my movements, and people just dismiss me like I’m stupid.’
“This was in 1987. At that time, the residents who could, communicated by using a lap tray that went on their wheelchair. The letters of the alphabet, A through Z, and the numbers 1-10 were on the tray. And the resident had to point out each letter of each word they wanted to say. It took so long, but John was just so patient in spelling each word out. I had to write it down so I would remember what he was talking about.
“He wanted to tell me how he felt – and it was almost painful, watching him point to each letter of every single word. But he got even the periods and exclamation points in there.
“That was in the first couple weeks, after I started working at Mountain Shadows.
“But John, and the other residents really liked that, when someone took the time to sit with them, and listen to them. It might take 10 minutes for them to say, ‘My name is John’ or ‘Who are you?’
“But John wanted me to know how he felt. And it was quite eye opening.
“After I’d been here for a while, I’d go out into the community and see somebody in a wheelchair and I’d be thinking, ‘Did I not see them before?’
“Sometime later, I was in Vegas and saw a young man in his wheelchair and he had a communication board, and I went over to say hello. It was the same type of thing John was using. So, I said to the young man, ‘This is how you talk?’
“He was spelling things out for me, and he said that was his first time really talking with someone, and he was enjoying it, and he goes, ‘Thank you for talking with me.’
“Then the parents came over and they said, ‘We’ve been watching you talk to our son. You just made our day! You took time to talk with him. Even if you just took time to say hello, we would have liked that, but you stood there and talked to him, and he just loved that!’ “I think sometimes the disabled are just dismissed, like they don’t know what’s going on. John, the young man in Vegas, our residents, all special needs individuals, I think they just want you to know they’re a person. “And they want to know who you are. When I go out into the community, I’ll try to just acknowledge them. They take that so to their heart, like, “Hey, somebody said hello to me!” |
Stacy and residents at the very first Mountain Shadows trip to Las Vegas. |
Says Stacy Sullivan, Executive Director, Mountain Shadows Support Group/Mountain Shadows Ancillary Services, “Stacy Miller has done it all for us. She’s been in every one of our houses as a nurse. There are people who have longevity, and they come to work every day, and they do their job, but she goes way beyond that. She cares about the Mountain Shadows Family.
“One of the many ways she shows this is by working every Thanksgiving. The reason she works every Thanksgiving is because she wants to go around to every house and make sure all the turkeys are ready and served up. She has never missed a Thanksgiving. She sacrifices her own Thanksgiving, her time with her own family, to be here with the residents. That says who she is.”
Adds Wade Wilde, Chief Financial Officer, MSSG/MSAS/MSF, “I call Stacy Miller, “The Rock” as in “The Rock of Gibraltar” due to her strength and endurance that we have always been able to rely on. Stacy has been providing heartfelt care at Mountain Shadows for many years; she knows all the residents’ medical needs but also knows them individually as people. She is our informal company historian, and I always love when she shares details of the residents’ personalities.”
“You do become the family for the residents that don’t have any family,” adds Stacy Miller. “I think that’s one of the reasons I’m still here.
I feel like Mountain Shadows is home. It really is like home to me. I leave my home and come to home. I’m at home all day long!” |
Stacy, an avid music fan, often attended concerts with Mountain Shadows residents. Here she is with friends – and Melissa Etheridge! |
As she thinks about her Mountain Shadows family, Stacy recalls, “When I was in a car accident, I was off work for three months. The residents called me when I was at home, recovering from the accident. And when I had surgery, it was the same thing. They called me almost every evening like, “Are you following what the nurse is telling you? Are you doing what the doctor says? And they go, “When are you coming back?”
“That boosted me up, because the therapy I was going through was just so rough. And some days I would be, “Oh, this is so hard, I can’t do it!” Then the phone would ring, and it would be one of my houses, sometimes even a house that wasn’t on my caseload, and they’d want to know when I was coming back. That made me feel, instantly, immediately, better. And it was like, “Okay, I can do another day of therapy, if it will just get me back to work.”
Stacy recalls when she did come back to work following her accident …
“When I was a kid, I would stand on one leg like a flamingo. I just loved flamingos and still do. And on my first day back to work after my accident, there were flamingos lined up from Jacaranda all the way up to Ash house. There were flamingos all over my office. And one of the residents, Stephanie, in Orange house, made me a flamingo using diamond art. It’s just absolutely gorgeous! And there was a big banner on the office saying, “Welcome back!” I appreciated that. I always remember that.
“It’s like we’re one big happy family.” |
Adds Stacy, “I was told on day one, ‘You’re going to love it at Mountain Shadows. It’s home.’ Then I got here and it’s like, ‘Yes, it is.’ We become family. And you always want to make sure your family is taken care of. You want them to get help when they need it. I just hope I’ve done that.
“I think the residents know if you’re going to be a person that’s going to be in their lives, or someone that’s only going to be there for a short while. They just know that you’re a good person at heart and they know if you’re going to be there for them.”
As one of Mountain Shadows longest-term family members, Stacy has seen residents grow up, age, and unfortunately, she has seen some pass away.
“When you stay at Mountain Shadows a long time, unfortunately, you see our residents passing away,” says Stacy Sullivan. “Stacy Miller is always at the services. She shows dignity, respect and love, all the way to the very end of our residents’ lives.”
Adds Stacy Miller, “The residents that have passed away need to be remembered how they were here, at Mountain Shadows. They’re up in our corner of heaven now. They’re running free. They’re not trapped in their bodies anymore. They’re not in their wheelchair. They’re up there with all our family members in our Mountain Shadows corner in heaven. “And when someone passes away, I feel like I have to let others know this is what they did, or this is how they changed for the better. I know their lives were much better when they came to us.
“Then, we have a big group hug. The residents know that they’re loved. I will admit I wasn’t a very big person on giving or getting hugs, but that goes right out the window here, because they have to give you a hug and – BOOM! – you have to accept their hug. How can you not? So, they broke me out of that.” |
Stacy and resident Stephanie Bancells – dressing as Stacy Miller on Halloween. |
“I think everybody should work here, or volunteer here, to see life how the residents see it.
“When I talk to new nurses, I tell them, ‘You need to know who the residents are. If you take that time to get to know them, your life here will be better, and you will actually become better.
“The nurse that trained me all those years ago, Robbie Rens, said to me, ‘Mountain Shadows might sign your paycheck, but you work for the residents. Don’t ever forget you work for the residents. If you do, that’s when you know it’s time for you to leave.’ Thirty-eight years later Stacy Miller is still here. “I always, at the end of the day, always, hope I did good. I hope they say I’m a good nurse. That I have a good sense of humor. That I can make them laugh – and that they were loved. I hope that’s what they say about me.” |
|
|
Flamingo diamond art created by resident Stephanie Bancells for Stacy. |
“When you get someone who comes around and is not judging you and looks at you and loves you and will cry with you and says, ‘I got you,’ this connection happens … and they impact your life in ways that I could never have imagined.”
~ Dwayne Johnson, The Rock
In this life, we have been lucky enough to meet these special people – Stacy Miller, the Mountain Shadows Rock, and the Mountain Shadows residents – and they have impacted our lives beyond measure.
And, on this Thankful Thursday, we believe we have been touched by angels … all.
To celebrate the steadfast dedication of the Mountain Shadows Rock, Stacy Miller, and help all of our Mountain Shadows residents thrive in ways we never could have imagined, please click on the link below:
Please Click Here to Support Our Residents on Thanksgiving, and Every Day! |
The Mountain Shadows Foundation – Because We CARE |
Thanks to YOUR SUPPORT, the Mountain Shadows CARE program provides recreational and social experiences to residents and participants adding meaning and richness to their lives.
It’s easy for you to help us continue to provide activities like this – activities that improve the quality of our residents’ lives in fulfillment of their dreams. Here are some ways you can help ensure these crucial activities can continue for years to come: -
Make a one-time donation today by clicking on the donate button below.
- Make a monthly or annual contribution.
- Leave a Legacy Gift.
To learn more about the Mountain Shadows Foundation Legacy Society, to include us in your estate plan, or to let us know if you have already designated Mountain Shadows to receive a legacy gift, please contact Mandy Huiras, Director of Development at: [email protected], or visit our website by clicking here:
Learn More About the Mountain Shadows Foundation Legacy Society Please share this story with your family, friends and co-workers to help grow our Mountain Shadows Family!
To learn more about Mountain Shadows volunteer opportunities, please click below:
Learn about Mountain Shadows Volunteer Opportunities Here |
Mandy Huiras Mountain Shadows Foundation
Director of Development
Contact Mandy today to learn more about the Mountain Shadows Foundation and how you can continue to make a difference in the lives of our residents:
mhuiras@mtnshadows.org |
|
|
Our Contact Information
*{{Organization Name}}*
*{{Organization Address}}*
*{{Organization Phone}}*
*{{Organization Website}}*
*{{Unsubscribe}}* |
|
|
|
