At a time when her heart was breaking, Angel Garriga –  mother and nursing student – found inspiration for a lifetime.

“My daughter had cancer at nine years old. That was 25 years ago. She received care at St. Louis Children’s Hospital,” the licensed practical nurse said. “As a mom, seeing other people taking such good care of your child was refreshing, and they did the same for me. They took care of me. They took care of us. That was very special. I knew it was something I wanted to do.”

While her daughter passed away, Angel continues to draw on the inspiration the two shared as a result of the compassionate care they received. Angel is a member of the care team in Family Medicine at the Blessing Health Center 4800 Maine.

“I love helping people, seeing them thrive and seeing them change. Making their lives easier, and for their loved ones, too.”

A John Wood Community College graduate, Angel has spent her entire nursing career in Quincy, working at Blessing right out of college – then moving to SIU Medicine- Center for Family Medicine in Quincy, then to Quincy Medical Group, then back to SIU, and most recently back to Blessing when she received an invitation to help staff the Blessing Health Center 4800 Maine when it opened in 2020.

“It was an honor that Blessing recruited me to come back and be on the original staff of the 4800 Maine Street health center.”

Angel also looked forward to reuniting with coworkers who continued to work on the Blessing staff.

“I was very comfortable going back with people that I knew I worked well with before.”

While the pandemic led to burnout among large numbers of healthcare professionals nationwide, Angel – again – found inspiration in a difficult situation.

“I felt like they (the patients) needed us more than ever. It was scary and we were right there for them,” she said. “And everybody learned what teamwork was about again. With higher demand and reduced staffing at times, you learned to appreciate what you had. Everyone worked better together.”

Angel said for the right person, getting into the profession for the right reason – she recommends a career in nursing.

“You are needed.”

A lifelong learner and eager to accept new responsibilities, Angel sees herself helping people as an LPN into the future. She says it is a kind word or handwritten note from a patient or family member about the care she provided that makes her day.

“Every day is special,” Angel concluded. “I love what I do and I’m thankful Blessing asked me back.”