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People Are 'Adopting' Health Care Workers To Show Them Some Much-Deserved Love

Updated September 7, 2021

We're currently on the ninth month and what feels like tenth year of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and while some people might like to think things have calmed down by now, the unfortunate reality is that we're not out of the woods yet.

In fact, the virus is still surging across the country, and front-line workers, such as nurses and health care professionals, are still putting their lives on the line every day to help people in need.

So this holiday season, why not give back to those who have given so much to us and "adopt" one of those health care heroes!

There's actually an entire Facebook group that connects eager participants with a "hero" who can they can show some much-deserved love.

Christine Danderand via Good Morning America

The Adopt a Nurse/Health Care Worker group was created on November 18 and has since grown to more than 12,000 members helping to fulfil the wishes of over 1,000 health care workers.

"We tried to keep track of how many were gifted but found that was insurmountable and lost track at 1,000," creator Christine Danderand told Good Morning America. "It’s grown into this thing that I could have never seen coming."

The Nebraska-based make up artist was compelled to start the initiative after witnessing the stress that her mom, a registered nurse, experiences while working with COVID patients.

Unsplash | Rusty Watson

After Danderand's husband, daughter, and even herself battled through the virus, she decided to do something to show their appreciation to those dedicated health care workers who work alongside her mom.

In the beginning, the group consisted of just a few dozen friends and family who signed up to send those workers some goodies via Amazon wish lists.

Now the group has positively exploded with support coming from both average folks and even other health care workers who want to support their fellow "heroes" any way they can.

Facebook | Adopt A Nurse/Health Care Worker

Every day, workers post a brief description of their job, their experience with the pandemic, and provide a little background about themselves as well. They also share a link to their Amazon wish list, which can range from simple gift cards to more personal items, like in one expectant nurse's case, some maternity pants.

Then it's just up to a member of the group to "adopt" that worker, and fulfill as many of their Amazon wishes as they are able to.

The generosity and appreciation being shown to these health care heroes is so unbelievably heartwarming to see.

UAMS Office of Communications & Marketing

Danderland told GMA a group of nurses actually donated another group of nurses' entire Christmas celebrations — the meals and the gifts for their children!

"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."

If you want to learn more about this initiative, or want to "adopt" a health care worker yourself this holiday season, make sure to check out the official Facebook group.

h/t: Good Morning America

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