Each year, the WakeMed Foundation’s Community Campaign offers an opportunity to support hospital programs and services. We sat down with Molly Anderson, a local entrepreneur and Community Campaign Team Leader, to talk about why serving WakeMed matters to her.
In October 2018, I ended up in the chest pain unit at WakeMed, not feeling well. They found that I had an ascending aortic aneurysm and I needed open-heart surgery to repair it. I was 44 at the time, so the news rocked my world.
Sixteen days later, I had open-heart surgery with Dr. Judson Williams. I ended up having a complication called aortitis. Dr. Williams and his team were amazing, and four nights later I was home. I’m forever grateful to WakeMed for saving my life. I had such a great experience that I wanted to give back.
Educating Women
Now, I’m a Team Leader for the WakeMed Foundation Community Campaign. For me, the most important part about being involved with WakeMed is to educate women about listening to their bodies. So many of us brush things under the rug. We shouldn’t; your symptoms can be telling you about something bigger.
WakeMed serves our entire community and it has so much to offer. Donations made to the WakeMed Foundation support important work, like the Robotic Walking Rehabilitation Program with an adjustable, portable, battery-powered bionic exoskeleton and mobile NICU services. What a wonderful community resource to support.
The WakeMed Way
WakeMed is the Level 1 Trauma Center in the area. WakeMed is the leading NICU in the area. The heart center at WakeMed is amazing. Across the board, WakeMed leads the way.
I know firsthand that you can feel it when you’re there. There’s a team dynamic where everyone works together. You are what is important. The goal is making you well. From check-in to the chest pain unit, I received endless kind, helpful, caring treatment. Patients are so important and the goal of all of this is to give them the best care possible.
About Molly Anderson
Molly Anderson is the founder of mollybeads, where she designs and makes fine jewelry from materials such as freshwater pearls, handmade beads, and semi-precious stones. Molly has been involved with WakeMed since her open-heart surgery in 2018. She is a WakeMed Foundation Community Campaign Team Leader, where she works closely with fellow volunteers and Foundation staff to learn about WakeMed’s work and educate the community at large.
What is the Community Campaign?
Each year, the WakeMed Foundation Community Campaign offers an opportunity for the community — for you — to support hospital programs and services. Foundation board members and volunteers raise donations and sponsorships of every amount from existing and new donors. One hundred percent of donated dollars go directly to fund programs and services to support patient care in all areas of the hospital. Creating healing environments. Providing innovative programs. Investing in skilled and compassionate caregivers. Supporting the urgent needs of our patients and families. Donations make it all possible. Your gift truly helps save and transform lives. Make a gift now.