SALT LAKE CITY — A nurse at the Huntsman Cancer Institute went through extreme lengths to avoid missing work because of the snow.
Sue Childress, the director of nursing at the hospital, realized early Wednesday morning that her commute would be a challenge.
“I came out about 6:30 thinking I could drive and it was already covered in snow,” Childress said. “At that point, I said to myself, ‘Okay, the bus isn’t going to come up here.’”
That’s when this avid cross country skier got an idea.
“I always thought about skiing into work and so, I just said, this is the day to do it,” Childress said.
She strapped on her skis and before sunrise, she made the two-mile trek to the hospital.
As a nurse, with patients depending on her for care, Childress felt it was her duty.
“This hospital runs 24/7,” Childress said. “I wanted to get in, in time to make sure my nurses were doing okay.”
None of Sue’s co-workers were shocked by her dedication and the example she set for others.
“One of them said, ‘Well, Sue’s here. She already skied in, so you better not ask if you should come in or not,’” Childress recalled.
Sue enjoyed the whole experience and she may have found a method of transportation that keeps her from having to dig her car out of the snow in the future.
“It was a fun morning,” Childress said. “I got to say hello to a lot of people shoveling. So yea, I would do it again, for sure.
