Health

Enjoy the summer, but heed these tips

July 18, 2018 By Mary Rathman

As the summer temperatures increase, so do the calls to poison control across the state.

More people are outdoors and kids are out of school, which can lead to an increased number of poison exposures, including pool chemical accidents; snake, spider and insect bites, and aquatic stings.

The Florida/USVI Poison Information Center in Jacksonville offers tips to keep Floridians safe this summer.

Pool Chemical Safety:

Be sure that you are in a well-ventilated area when using pool chemicals.
Follow product instructions carefully.
Do not store chemicals where flammable items may mix with them.
Never mix pool chemicals because that can create a toxic gas.
Always keep pool chemicals stored up and away from children.

Inspect Repellent Usage:

Read and follow product instructions carefully, as some repellents are not meant to be applied to the skin.
Do not use on a child’s hands, eyes, mouth or cut/irritated ski; spray repellent onto adult’s hands and then apply to child’s face.
Consumers also should not use a combination of sunscreen and insect repellent, as sunscreen needs to be reapplied every two hours, and repellent should not be reapplied.
DEET should not be used on children younger than 2 months old.
Always wash treated skin with soap and water after returning to the indoors.

Snake and Spider Bites:

If bitten by a snake, remove jewelry and tight clothes, immobilize the extremity if possible, keep affected area at or below the heart, and wash the area gently.
Do not feed the victim, make cuts or place ice on the bitten extremity, or apply a tourniquet.
If bitten by a spider, call the poison control center immediately.
If believed to have been bitten by one of the six venomous snakes in Florida, call poison control at (800) 222-1222, or 911, if victim cannot be aroused, is convulsing or has stopped breathing. Venomous snakes include the coral snake, cottonmouth/water moccasin, Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, copperhead or canebrake (timber) rattlesnake.

Outdoor Hazards:

Jellyfish and other aquatic life can bite and sting. Have a spray bottle with vinegar available at the beach for jellyfish stings. Call poison control for specific treatment advice.
Treat all wild mushrooms as poisonous, unless you are absolutely certain they are safe.
Initially, apply a baking soda paste to insect stings, including fire ants, bees, wasps and caterpillars. Then call poison control for specific treatment.

Pesticides also should be used according to the product instructions, and properly stored and disposed of according to the label. All pesticides should be kept in their original containers.

Consumers should avoid using produce that require leaving powder or pellets in areas where children or pets have access.

The Poison Help Hotline can be reached at (800) 222-1222 and provides free, confidential medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year-round, from toxicology specialists, such as nurses, pharmacists, physicians and poison information providers.

Published July 18, 2018

Health News 07/18/2018

July 18, 2018 By Mary Rathman

Humanitarian award winner
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has recognized Shelli Ginther as this year’s Frist Volunteer Humanitarian Award winner. In addition to volunteering at the hospital, Ginther is active in the United Methodist Church as an organist, choir member and in volunteer services. She also is a certified lay servant and lay delegate to the Methodist Conference, and is a member in the Native Plant Society, as well as the New Port Richey Garden Club and the Spring Hill Garden Club.

New director appointed
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has appointed Jennifer Aceituno-Cardona as hospital administrative director of graduate medical education and program support for the hospital’s newly ACGME-accredited general surgery residency program.

Prior to joining Regional Medical, Aceituno-Cardona recently served as administrative director for graduate medical education at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, an affiliate of Stony Brook University in New York.

In addition to her role at Mather, she worked as the graduate medical education specialist in the GME office at Stony Brook and as a fellowship coordinator at Southampton Hospital, giving her experience with both osteopathic and allopathic programs.

Aceituno-Cardona has a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from Stony Brook University.

Autism specialty plate
Every year, the Florida Support Autism Programs Specialty License Plate generates funds that support nonprofit organizations providing direct services for individuals with autism and related disabilities in Florida. In 2017, nearly $80,000 was awarded.

All nonprofit organizations with a current Internal Revenue Service designation as a 501(c)(3) exempt organization and a current State of Florida Charitable Solicitation Registration number that are providing services to individuals with autism and related disabilities in Florida are eligible to apply.

Proposals are due by July 31, by visiting AutismLicensePlate.com/grants.

New chief nursing officer
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has announced the appointment of Melanie Wetmore as chief nursing officer.

Wetmore comes to Bayonet Point from Oak Hill Hospital, where she served as assistant chief nursing officer. Prior to Oak Hill, she was employed at Memorial Hospital of Tampa.

Wetmore has more than 20 years of experience in emergency care and nursing leadership. She began her career in Rochester, New York, and served in emergency nursing in Torrance, California; Tucson, Arizona; and Tampa.

She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the State University of New York College at Brockport.

Wetmore also has a Master of Science degree in nursing leadership from Jacksonville University and is in the process of completing her Doctor of Nursing Practice at Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

She also is a board-certified nurse executive, certified emergency room nurse, and holds certification in advanced cardiac life support, basic life support and pediatric advanced life support.

Wetmore also is a trauma nursing course educator.

Health News 07/11/2018

July 11, 2018 By Mary Rathman

(Courtesy of Alzheimer’s Family Organization)

Project aims to help ease frustration
Members of the Brooksville Girl Scout Troop 24302 earned their sewing badges by creating Fidget Mats for the Alzheimer’s Family Organization. The mats may help sooth the agitated fidgeting of those with dementia. The West Hernando Branch of the Hernando County Library donated the space and provided free introductory sewing lessons for the project, and the scouts completed 10 fidget mats. Members of the troop are Alexa Brook, Isabel Shelby, Madeline Grob, Hannah Opyoke and Ami Rodriguez, under the leadership of Sarah Shelby and Angela Brook.

Adult day center honored
Jaime’s Adult Day Centers, of Lutz, has been recognized by the National Adult Day Services Association as an Adult Day Services Center of Distinction for its outstanding service and unique activities for its members.

The center’s monthly programming is developed by a certified recreation therapist and encompasses social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and physical activities.

Social wellness considers satisfaction in personal relationships with family and friends, and participation in the community

Emotional wellness considers one’s ability to recognize, accept and manage feelings, strengths and limitations.

Spiritual health considers the connection with a higher being.

Intellectual wellness looks at skills and knowledge within the individual.

And, physical well-being considers activities, such as exercise and a balanced diet.

Activities at Jaime’s range from themed parties to pet therapy with teacup goats. There also are Zumba Gold classes, resistance training and yoga; expressive arts and music therapy; daily prayer, and more.

For information, call (813) 527-6315.

Hospital adds new ER department
Morton Plant North Bay Hospital has completed the final phase of its emergency department, continuing to improve care for the West Pasco community.

Morton Plant’s new emergency department opened last December for patient care, featuring private treatment rooms, a spacious waiting area, nature-inspired artwork and contemporary design touches.

The final phase added a 15-bed unit for those requiring more observation or monitoring and four additional treatment rooms, bring the total to 28 private treatment rooms.

The permanent ambulance entrance also has opened.

The hospital is at 6600 Madison St., in New Port Richey.

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North undergoing $75 million expansion

July 3, 2018 By B.C. Manion

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North is the midst of a $75 million expansion that will double the hospital’s capacity and support additional services.

Crews are currently working to build out four additional operating suites, in shelled spaces that were included during the original construction in anticipation of future need.

Ryan Bittner, project superintendent on a $75 million expansion project at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, explains the complexity of the construction drawings needed for the project.
(B.C. Manion)

The operating suites are expected to be completed in September, said Sara Dodds, director of operations.

Meanwhile, work is underway to prepare for a two-floor expansion.

That portion of the project is expected to begin in July, said Ryan Bittner, who works for Barton Malow and is the project superintendent for the hospital’s expansion.

“We’ll start with the concrete sheer walls first, like the stairwells, the structural concrete portions that we’ll tie all the steel into. Once that’s up, our steel contractor will come in and erect. That’s when you’ll see the biggest change because you’ll see all of the steel framing go up, the floors being installed, all of the decking,” he said.

The additional floors, which will each have 54 patient rooms, are scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2020, Dodds said.

Although the expansion of the facility at 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz, was always planned, the need came faster than initially expected, Dodds said.

“The growth rate around us is higher than the state of Florida and higher than the nation. If you drive around, there’s more than 1,000 homes and apartments going up, just within 1 mile of us,” she said, adding, “we are regularly now running at capacity.”

Sara Dodds, operations director for St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, is overseeing the expansion of the hospital, which she said was anticipated when the hospital opened in 2010, but came faster than expected because of area growth.

When the expansion is completed and the patient rooms are full, the hospital expects to add around 200 positions, including clinical staff and support services.

The expansion will allow the hospital to double the number of beds it has in its intensive care unit from 12 to 24, by converting 12 existing progressive care beds into intensive care beds.

The 108 beds being added will consist of 48 beds for patients receiving progressive care and 60 beds for those receiving medical surgical care.

Progressive care beds are for patients who are not typically as ill as those needing critical care, but require more specialized attention than a general patient recovering from surgery.

When the expansion is completed, the hospital will have 12 dedicated private rooms for infusion services, Dodds said. Currently, those services are provided in a shared space.

Before work began, the hospital reached out to its neighbors to share its plans, Dodds said.

“One of the things that there was concern about was the path of the deliveries and the construction crews, and we addressed that,” Dodds said, noting those deliveries and crews will not be cutting through residential areas.

The construction team will do what it can to minimize noise, but there will be noise, Dodds said.

“We’ll work with every patient that comes to make sure they understand there may be some noise,” she said, adding that the hospital will give patients earplugs, if they need them.

Crews are preparing to do the framing for the ceiling in four operating suites that are being built out at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North. The shells for the rooms were included in the original construction, in anticipation of future need.

“Whenever possible, we will minimize whatever work needs to be done at night,” she added.

If the project is finished on time, it will roughly coincide with the hospital’s 10-year anniversary.

When it opened, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North was the first new hospital that had been built in Hillsborough County for 30 years. Before that, area residents had to drive for miles to get to the nearest hospital.

Dodds vividly recalls opening day on Feb. 15, 2010.

She was a charge nurse at the time and remembers gazing out of the third-story window to see the hospital’s first patient approaching the building. It had 2,918 discharges that first year.

In 2011, its first full year of operation, the hospital had 4,831 discharges. That compares to 7,814 last year, which is a 61 percent increase since 2011, hospital officials note.

The larger hospital will address the community’s growing needs, Dodds said.

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, by the numbers

7,814 discharges
404 births
4,467 outpatient surgeries
42,869 emergency department visits
463,414 lab tests
799 team members
156 physicians

These figures are for 2017, the last complete year that statistics are available.

Published July 4, 2018

Health News 07/04/2018

July 3, 2018 By Mary Rathman

Dr. Rao Musunuru spends time with ‘Superman’ at a 20th anniversary celebration of Kids at the Point. (Courtesy of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point)

Center celebrates milestone
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point proudly celebrated the 20th anniversary of Kids at the Point, a center that has been caring and educating young children on the hospital campus since 1997.

Kids at the Point was the idea of Dr. Rao Musunuru and others who believed that employees who worked at the hospital should be able to have needed child care close-by and convenient for both themselves and their little ones.

A week of activities was dedicated to the children’s concepts of a superhero, and included creating superhero masks, watching “The Incredibles” movie, wearing superhero pajamas and having a superhero decorating contest.

Red Cross Angels
Officers of the Red Cross Angels, a support group for the Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross, were installed at a recent luncheon.

New officers for the 2018-2019 year are Al Van Voris, president; Glenda Barlow, vice president; Mary Jo Shenk, recording secretary; Nancy Watkins, corresponding secretary; and, Sandy Hill, treasurer.

Glenda Barlow was recognized as the Angel of the Year for her work as chairwoman of the Red Cross Angels Silver Coffee, which raised almost $40,000 for the Tampa Bay chapter.

This year’s Silver Coffee will take place Nov. 8 at a location yet to be determined.

For information about the Angels, which resume meetings in September, call (813) 348-4820.

Wound care excellence
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point was recognized with the Center of Distinction Award, which was given to the hospital’s Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine by Healogics.

The center achieved outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months, including patient satisfaction higher than 92 percent, and a minimum wound healing rate of at least 91 percent within 30 median days to heal.

There were 635 centers eligible for the award, but only 427 achieved the honor.

For more information about Healogics and the distinction award, visit Healogics.com/2017-Center-of-Excellence-Winners.

Nursing awards
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point recognized its staff with excellence in nursing awards.

Gwenn Hartley was the recipient of the Excellence in Nursing Compassionate Care Award, which is given to a nurse who demonstrates exceptional nursing knowledge and expert skills, and consistently applies both with compassion and integrity.

Crystal Drilea earned the Excellence in Nursing Professional Mentoring Award, given to a nurse who advances nursing practice in any clinical setting or nursing specialty by guiding or supporting career development for individuals or groups of nurses.

The Nurse of the Year award was given to Lezonie Burney at the 12th annual Good Samaritan Health Clinic Nurses’ Gala Bayonet Point.

A secret selection committee chose Burney upon information submitted by her nominator.

She will reign for one year and make community appearances.

Also nominated for the award was Brooke Dupont, who has been employed at Regional Medical for 13 years. She currently works in the Medical Intensive Care Unit.

Patient safety recognized
Oak Hill Hospital, Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point and the Medical Center of Trinity each received the Healthgrades 2018 Patient Safety Excellence Award, a designation that recognizes superior performance of hospitals that have prevented the occurrence of serious, potentially avoidable complications for patients during hospital stays.

The distinction places all three hospitals among the top 10 percent of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data for its excellent performance as evaluated by Healthgrades.

During the 2014 to 2016 study period, Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average:

55.6 percent less likely to experience an accidental cut, puncture, perforation or hemorrhage during medical care
52.4 percent less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest
62.8 percent less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital
54.3 percent less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital

Health News 06/20/2018

June 20, 2018 By Mary Rathman

Quilts provide some extra care
The ‘Quilting With Grace’ group, from Grace Presbyterian Church in Spring Hill, presented Oak Hill Hospital’s Pediatric ER with four handmade quilts to be given to young children in need who are experiencing a traumatic event and need some additional tender loving care. Members of the group share the quilts with Kim Loucks, ER and Pediatric ER director (right).

(Courtesy of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point)

President’s Service Award
Harriet Prager, a volunteer at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, received the President’s Call to Service Award Certificate, from the office of the President of the United States. Prager began volunteering in 1999 and has more than 17,000 hours of service. She currently volunteers at the post-anesthesia care unit and is serving on the awards committee for the Volunteer Association. Prager also served on the association’s scholarship committee, helped with special projects, was on the board of directors for the Volunteer Association, and a board member of Suncoast Health & Education Foundation.

Club makes comfort pillows
The GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club had a “Stuffing Party” to finish its assembly line project of cutting, sewing and finishing 160 comfort pillows for women recuperating after breast cancer surgery.

The pillows were delivered by Margee Carpenter, project chair, to the Women’s Center at Florida Hospital.

For information on the club, visit GFWCLutzLandOLakesWomansClub.org.

Access Health opens new office
Access Health Care Physicians has opened a new office in Zephyrhills for cardiology services, at 7323 Green Slope Drive.

Dr. Vinod Raxwal is board certified in cardiology, interventional cardiology, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. He specializes in interventional cardiology.

Raxwal also has locations in Hudson and New Port Richey.

For information, call (813) 333-5754.

Hospital hands out awards
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point recently handed out the following awards:

Joe D’Amari: 2017 Male Volunteer of the Year
Carol Del Santo: 2017 Female Volunteer of the Year
Adrian Borel: Quarter of a Century of Service (27 years)
Al Del Santo: Quarter of a Century of Service (27 years)
Carol Del Santo: Quarter of a Century of Service (28 years)
Shirley Stibal: Quarter of a Century of Service (29 years)
Charlotte Craven: Volunteer Star Award, first quarter 2018
Janet Day: Volunteer Star Award, first quarter 2018
Sharon McTeer: Volunteer Star Award, first quarter 2018
Crystal Drilea: Excellence in Nursing Professional Mentoring
Gwenn Hartley: Excellence in Nursing Compassionate Care

Health News 06/13/2018

June 13, 2018 By Mary Rathman

Medical Center of Trinity honors staff
The Medical Center of Trinity has announced the following staff awards.

Dr. Debra Angelo, internal medicine, was named the Physician of the Year, a nurses’ choice award selected by the nurses of the hospital.

Angelo was chosen for her integrity, professionalism, accountability, responsiveness, teamwork, nurturing, empathy and respect, as well as the time she takes to educate each patient on their condition/options, striving to answer their questions.

The Frist Humanitarian Physician of the Year was given to Dr. Visal Numrungroad.

The award is one of HCA’s Awards of Distinction named in honor of Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr., founder of HCA and humanitarian.

Numrungroad is a member of the Project HOPE team that responded to those in need after Hurricane Maria’s devastation, volunteering in Puerto Rico and collecting donations in Tampa Bay.

Nursing awards were given to MJ Dodson, RN, medical telemetry, as Nurse of the Year; and, Matthew Prince, RN, progressive care unit, as New Nurse of the Year.
Duane Hollier and Athena Markos were chosen for the HCA Innovators Award for their collaborative efforts on the Safetrac RadioPharmaceutical Barcoding pilot program to reduce patients dosing errors. Hollier is in nuclear medicine and Markos is with the pharmacy.

County commissioners recognizes CEO
Access Health Care Physicians’ founder and CEO Dr. Pariksith Singh was honored by the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners for his achievements and contributions to the community.

In presenting the Resolution to Singh, county commissioners discussed his economic impact on the community. The Resolution covered:

The opening of the Auro Community Outreach Center to help provide food, cash and medical assistance to those in need
The Auro Community Garden as a sustainable garden “using natural growing methods, free of harmful insecticides and other chemicals”
The Auroveda Operating Foundation, which includes the outreach center and community garden
Singh’s recognition as Oak Hill Hospital’s Frist Humanitarian Physician of 2017, an award which honors outstanding individuals for their humanitarian and volunteer activities

Regional Medical adds new tool
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, 14000 Fivay Road in Hudson, has installed a digital X-ray imaging system for its Neuroscience Center to view detailed, real-time images of a patient’s head, neck and spine during stroke and other neuro endovascular procedures requiring exact precision.

For information, visit RMCHealth.com or HeartOfTampa.com.

Health News 06/06/2018

June 6, 2018 By Mary Rathman

Florida Hospital earns straight As
The Florida Hospital West Florida Division has a perfect score card in patient safety and quality, and is the only hospital system in the Tampa Bay area that earned the highest rating for all of its hospitals that participated in the survey.

The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization, announced its 2018 Hospital Safety Grades, and all seven participating hospitals in the West Florida Division received an A, including Florida Hospital Carrollwood, Florida Hospital Tampa, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Florida Hospital North Pinellas, Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center Sebring and Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center Lake Placid.

Florida Hospital Carrollwood also was named a Top General Hospital in 2017 and has received an A grade from Leapfrog six consecutive times since 2015.

Oak Hill hands out awards
Oak Hill Hospital recognized its employees with the following honors:

Kristin Baker, emergency room RN: Excellence in Nursing Professional Mentor
Jennifer Diaz, CNA, fifth-floor Telemetry: Star Associate of the Year
Shawn Kernz, intensive care RN: Excellence in Nursing Award for Compassionate Care
Katie Stacy, marketing coordinator: Frist Associate Humanitarian Award
Martha Sugg, current president of the Volunteer Association: Frist Volunteer Humanitarian Award

For information, visit OakHillHospital.com.

Health News 05/30/2018

May 30, 2018 By Mary Rathman

Hospital receives honor for organ donor program
Oak Hill Hospital had an organ donor flag raising ceremony and prayer memorial service in honor of its platinum recognition for its participation in the National Hospital Organ Donation campaign.

The recognition was for encouraging hospital, staff and community members to enroll in their state registry as organ, eye and tissue donors.

The award was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Human Resources & Services Administration, Health Care Systems Bureau, Division of Transplantation.

New vice president of neuroscience
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has promoted Carol Corder as vice president of neuroscience, where she will lead the strategic planning business growth and programmatic development of neurosciences at the hospital.

Corder has worked for HCA for 30 years and has served as a director for 21 years.

She has been promoted from her position as director of imaging & non-invasive cardiology, where she has been since 2002.

Corder has a bachelor’s degree from Ottawa University and is currently completing her master’s degree in leadership and management.

Cancer survivor wins scholarships, offers prevention advice

May 23, 2018 By B.C. Manion

Cailyn Ruff was a senior at Sunlake High School, in Land O’ Lakes, when she felt an odd bump on her head.

That was about a year-and-a-half ago.

“It was like a big mole,” the 19-year-old said. “I saw it through my part line. It looked funny. It would bleed.”

As it grew, she became concerned and brought it to the attention of her dermatologist.

Next, came a biopsy.

Cailyn Ruff, who lives in Lutz, was a senior at Sunlake High School when she found out she had a rare form of melanoma. She underwent a successful surgery and is cancer-free, but she wants to remind others of the importance of wearing sunscreen and hats to protect themselves from too much sun. She wants to become a pediatric nurse practitioner and recently received some scholarships to help pay for her studies. (B.C. Manion)

“It was a good three weeks before we got the first results, saying they were inconclusive. It was not something they were used to seeing. So, they actually sent it to the USF (University of South Florida) doctors.

“The dermatologist said ‘You better get a second opinion.’

Her mom, Kim Carpintier, recalled how scary that was.

It took two weeks to get her into Moffitt Cancer Center, and when they did, they were told that the young woman needed surgery immediately.

“They were worried that it had spread to her lymph nodes,” Carpintier said.

If more time had passed, Ruff would have faced chemotherapy.

As it was, surgery was performed to remove the melanoma, the surrounding area and six of her lymph nodes.

“Moffitt told her that she’s one of two kids that they’ve ever seen with this form of melanoma,” Carpintier said.

After the surgery, Ruff said, “I was in pain for a long time.”

It took her about two months to regain full mobility in her head and neck.

Still, she knows how lucky she is.

“Nothing got infected,” she said. “By March, I was 100 percent myself.”

While they do not know what caused the melanoma to form on her head, Ruff and Carpintier suspect it could have been a result from being exposed to the sun for long hours, when Ruff was a cheerleader and when she ran cross-country.

Both mother and daughter said that schools may want to suggest that students who are out in the sun for hours wear a hat and protect themselves with sunscreen.

“No one thinks to wear sunscreen and a hat during school events because you get out of school and you change, and you go and do what you have to do,” said Ruff, who is now a student at the University of South Florida.

She plans to pursue a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner, and said that’s partially due to the excellent care she received from nurses at Moffitt.

Her career choice also has been influenced by her current job as a vision therapist at Walesby Vision Center, on State Road 54 in Lutz.

She has worked with both children and adults, both for both everyday issues and various disorders, she said. She works primarily with children, performing vision therapy with children experiencing challenges such as visual-motor and/or perceptual-cognitive deficiencies. Many of the children she serves have autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or other medical conditions.

Ruff began working at Walesby to earn volunteer hours, but she was so good with children she was offered a job, Carpintier said.

Recently, Ruff received a $5,500 scholarship through an essay contest sponsored by Panera Bread and the Children’s Cancer Center. The awards were presented at the Palma Ceia Country Club in south Tampa.

Ruff’s mom was impressed by the event.

“It was beautiful. They went above and beyond,” Carpintier said. It honored youths who have dealt with cancer, ranging from 16 to 20 years old.

The stories that were shared were touching, she said.

Ruff also has received two other scholarships, one from a Greek organization, and another from an Italian organization.

She hopes to continue her education in USF’s nursing program, but realizes that it’s very competitive, so will be applying elsewhere, too.

Her goal is to work at Tampa General Hospital in the pediatrics unit, or at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital or at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.

Ruff lives with her mom, Kim, her dad, Don Carpintier, and her sister, Meghan Ruff, in Lutz.

She’s grateful for all of the help and support she’s received.

Besides the scholarships, she also has received support from her grandparents, Carol and Bill Little, and her aunt, Lois Zapert, who all live in Lutz and her grandmother, Michele Carpintier, who lives in St. Petersburg.

Published May 23, 2018