The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word “Pollyanna” as describing, “a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything.”

Meet Pollyanna Malone, LPN – known as Polly to her patients. The difference between Polly and the dictionary definition is that this Pollyanna doesn’t just find the good in everything, she does her best to make good things happen.

“I care about people,” the 48-year-old Blessing Health Hannibal nurse said proudly. “When I say I care, I truly care. I am not afraid to go that extra mile to do something for someone. Whether it causes me more work, or heartache, I’m going to do it. The worst someone is going to do is tell you, ‘no’. “But you’ll never get that far if you don’t try.”

Born and raised in northeast Missouri, Polly’s nursing journey began in her late 20s when a family member developed breast cancer. Polly noticed something that changed her life when taking that family member to treatments.

“I saw people from my local community who I had no idea were dealing with such a challenge,” she said. “Right then, I decided I wasn’t doing enough to help people. I quit my job as the manager of a local store and enrolled in nursing school. I worked as an aide at Salt River Nursing Home in Shelbina, Missouri, while I went to school.”

Eventually, Polly realized she would not have enough money to complete her nursing education. Calling on the lessons learned from her strong-willed mother, Polly - the mother of two herself - joined the United States Army National Guard to fund her education.

“It was hard,” she said, “I love being a mom and I love my girls. Being away from them was hard. But everything I did was because of them. I needed to be a stronger person and I needed to make sure I could take care of them. I needed to set the right example for them. So, I did it.”

While an injury cut her service short, Polly served her country in Haiti after a hurricane and in several locations in the Midwest after crises, and became a licensed practical nurse in the process.

“Among the greatest things I have done in my life is become a nurse and join the Army,” she said.

“Nursing is the most selfless thing you can do,” Polly continued. “It is also the most rewarding. You may not know all the good you are doing for someone at the moment you are doing it, but you are going to see it later on. Every now and then you will get that card in the mail, or a smile from a patient – showing that you made their day, unknowingly - simply by doing the things you do every day for people. It truly impacts them.” 

Two of Polly’s three daughters are considering careers in healthcare; one as a certified nurse anesthetist, the other currently works at Blessing Health Hannibal as a receptionist in Pediatrics and is considering continuing her education in radiologic technology.

“I would like to take more classes and better educate myself,” Polly concluded. “When I educate myself, I am better for my patients.”

And that statement is a perfect example of this particular Pollyanna.