Remember Those Caring For Others On Christmas Day

While most of the world will be spending time with family on Christmas Day, some will be taking care of neighbors across the region.

Theresa Abbadusky is a Nurse Practitioner at Ascension Saint Thomas Urgent Care. She said she appreciates that people are often more understanding on Christmas.

“I’ve done this for a number of years and I’ve worked most holidays,” Abbadusky said. “Sickness does not know, you know, days of the year, days of the week, time of the day, and people are needing to be taken care of and that’s what I do.”

Putnam County 9-1-1 Assistant Director Josh Womack said that his job remains largely the same on Christmas. Womack said he and all of his employees show up every day to serve the community and respond to emergencies, which do not pause for December 25.

“Shift work and everybody that works shift work, they understand, especially in emergency services that, you know, you may have to work Christmas, you may have to work Thanksgiving, you may have to work birthdays and other holidays,” Womack said. “You know that and you just have, I guess, that respect to come do your job.”

SOS Towing Owner David Sullivan said his job becomes more dangerous on Christmas. Sullivan said with more people traveling, and potentially treacherous road conditions, accidents are more likely. He said people should be cautious and work to make things easier on workers so that they can get home and spend time with their families.

“I don’t really do this for me,” Sullivan said. “I mean, being a tow truck operator, and any of the other operators that you speak with will tell you the same thing, we’re not here to get rich, we’re here actually for the community.”

Abbadusky said that no matter the date, she wants to spend her time caring for others. She said the key to helping workers in her position is to respect them and understand that on a day like Christmas, service may not move as quickly.

“One of the things that I see a lot is, people come and visit and they haven’t seen their relatives in a long time, and they’re going to go back home, and they just want mom checked out,” Abbadusky said. “I think they need to keep in touch more with the relative so they really know what’s going on.”

Sullivan said his work is not a job, but a lifestyle. with extra traffic around the holidays, Christmas can be one of the busiest days of the year, and without tow truck operators, commerce cannot move, food cannot move, and people cannot get home to see their loved ones.

Womack said 9-1-1 dispatchers are ready for whatever comes at them and do not hope for an easy day on Christmas. No call that comes in is looked at as an imposition, regardless of what day it is.