Hero of the Month
The Firefighters For Healing
Hero of the Month for February
in honor of National Burn Awareness Week
is Jessica Hammond from
Hennepin Healthcare’s Burn Center
Jessica survived a house fire as a child and went on to dedicate herself to caring for burn survivors as an aide on the burn unit at Hennepin Healthcare. Through her own experiences, Jessica brings a deep understanding of what her patients are dealing with. She is compassionate, skilled and energetic in her care giving. She donated time as a Camp RED volunteer to provide programming for burn survivors and their family members. Though Jessica would never consider herself a hero, her caring approach and her ability to be genuine with every patient she cares for makes her an everyday hero in our eyes.
Jessica survived a house fire when she was three years old. When everyone evacuated their Chicago, Illinois home, her mom did a quick headcount and realized one child was missing. An aunt immediately ran into the house and smoke (not advised). When a sudden gust of fresh air blew across the room, she heard Jessica coughing in the corner hidden under blankets trying to protect herself. She was led to safety and the fire trucks arrived.
Jessica admits that she does not remember much of the physical pain of her hospital recovery but rather how the nurses made her feel loved and encouraged. Nurses all learned to sing Michael Jackson’s "The way you make me feel" because her mom told them that was her favorite song. “They sang it to me every day.”
Jessica obtained an associate’s degree in health care administration from the University Of Phoenix with over a 3.5 GPA while working full time and taking care of her young son. She then earned her nursing assistant certification via Hubert H Humphrey Job Corps Center (in addition to two levels of culinary arts).
What prepared Jessica to be so well-suited to support Hennepin Healthcare’s Burn Center patients and families is her experience as a burn survivor who overcame the day-to-day challenges of skin care, mobility exercises, check-ups and more. She easily and beautifully connects with patients of all ages and shares with children that she, too, had to deal with classmates and strangers asking about her scars. She helps them through their stages of grieving to want to look like everyone else without scars or skin grafts. She encourages them to be confident in their new skin.
In Jessica’s words, “The Burn Center provides the best care but some of the procedures are painful. We do not sugar-coat that to patients or their families. This job is not easy for even the toughest person and I often find myself crying after seeing or hearing things that no one should have to experience. When patients have asked for me to do their next dressing change because of the good job I did, that helps me know that I make a difference.”
“My favorite memory of Camp RED is time at the waterfront. Some campers were hesitant at first but there was an environment of inclusion that helped them know this was a place without judgement or shame about the size or location of anyone's scars. Even as an adult, I appreciated that. I shared with the group that when people stare to kindly say, ‘Please don't stare, you can ask me what happened.’ I told them hold onto the truth that your scars do not define you and you will Realize Every Dream.”
Jessica’s dedication to quality patient care is so inspiring. She credits her passion with the fact that her burn trauma truly impacted the whole family for many years. So much so that ALL of her siblings are in the health care field: one is a medical assistant at Children's clinic, another is a paramedic and a firefighter and another will graduate soon as an RN.
It is extra special to mark National Burn Awareness Week by featuring a burn survivor turned burn aide. Join us in celebrating Jessica as the Hero of the Month and for bringing life experience to each new patient interaction and going above and beyond to support the Burn Center team to the best of her ability.
If you were inspired, we encourage you to volunteer, donate, bring paracords to your community, or nominate a firefighter or burn survivor who deserves to be recognized as a hero.