CKHA honors Martin for her compassion

Dorothy Martin is very proud of her job as a diabetes educator with the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, one she’s been doing for 15 years. But the CKHA is also very proud of her, and recently gave her the Compassionate Caregiver Award of Distinction.

Willi Kirenko, vice-president and chief nursing executive with the CKHA said Martin is very deserving of the award.

“She deserves to be recognized. She’s an amazing person,” Kirenko said. “This awards is for a compassionate caregiver, and she is the epitome. Truly her warm and thoughtful way of caring for patients, and the way she adjusts how she interacts with them according to their need and age, she is the whole package.”

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Martin will tell you others merit the recognition.

“I could name any number of people here who are more deserving than I am,” she said. “I am very proud, very honoured to be recognized on that level.

“We get thank yous from our patients every day. That’s always been enough, but this was a special treat.”

The registered nurse first started with the hospital 32 years ago. But she’s particularly proud of her time as a diabetes educator.

“I get to work with all ages of the population, young and old, and young women with diabetes induced during pregnancy,” she said.

Of particular interest to her are the 65-70 children in Chatham-Kent who have diabetes.

“They are very brave young children. They take four injections each day or use an insulin pump,” she said. “And they have to check their blood sugar all the time. They’re little troopers.”

While diabetes is controllable, Martin said having to maintain such a constant vigilance can be draining on an individual.

“Having diabetes can really drag a person down at times. Nobody deals with it 100% all the time. They try to maintain the quality of their life and do the things they need to do to control it,” she said, “Every time food enters your mouth, you think about it. Every time injections are due. It never leaves you. You never get a break from it. The people who have it are just amazing in how they cope.

“We’re just their cheerleaders.”

But instead of pom-poms, Martin’s cheerleading tools include a cell phone and computer.

“It’s not unusual to get calls in the night, or e-mails, or texts,” she said. It’s just part of the job. It’s the love of the job.”

Kirenko said Martin’s passion for the position shines through.

“The quiet way in which she goes about her work and the concern she has for communities such as Walpole Island and the special needs of the residents there, she truly has their best interests in mind.”