Maria Held Honored As Anthem Angel This Past SundayINDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts are proud to announce a resident of Indianapolis, Ind. as a 2008 honoree of the Anthem Angels program, presented by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Maria Held, a registered nurse at St. Vincent's Hospital, was recognized as an "Anthem Angel" at the Colts home game this past Sunday, December 7, 2008, for her outstanding contribution to the community.
Held has been a registered nurse for 9 years, after serving in the United States Armed Forces.
In honor of Maria's dedication, she received four (4) VIP Club Seat Tickets to the Colts game, a feature story with her photo in the Colts gameday magazine (the Scout) and on www.colts.com, as well as recognition on the hhGregg Big Screens in Lucas Oil Stadium during the game.
As a registered nurse, Held is very attentive to her patients in the Cardiovascular Thoracic Recovery Unit at St. Vincent's Hospital, always offering smiles, hugs, laughs, tears and prayers.
One of Held's most memorable experiences as a nurse came recently when she had a patient whose family could not visit often, was in a depression and remained in the hospital for many months after a heart transplant surgery. In an effort to help brighten her day, Maria would come to the hospital on her days off, which she designated as "spa days." Many times the hospital staff could hardly get a smile out of the patient but when Maria would do her "spa treatments," including fun things like washing and styling the patient's hair, you could see the joy she got beaming from the smile on her face.
Although the patient did eventually pass away, Held said, "I could tell that the little things, we [as nurses] do, can make a difference in the day to day lives of those we care for and those who are family and friends of these people. They become like a second family and sharing emotions with each other can be very therapeutic for not only those closest to the patient but also for those who cared for her state of health."
Held was nominated by Jackie Carmichael, a co-worker at St. Vincent's Hospital.
"Anthem Angels…Honoring Everyday Heroes" was established by the Indianapolis Colts and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to pay tribute to Hoosier "First Respondents" who may have received little or no recognition for the strides they have made to help others in human-service related professions.
Nominations are still being accepted for upcoming 2008 home games. For more information about Anthem Angels, presented by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, please visit www.colts.com/anthemangels.
