Father, daughter share same sense of humor, caring

Jun. 19—Here's a great story for Father's Day: All four members of a Spotsylvania County family work in some aspect of health care—three in the same hospital—and the two daughters were so inspired by the example set by their dad, they followed in his footsteps.

Trouble is, that's not totally true—at least not in the initial joke-filled version of the story shared by the father and daughter who work at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. Jerry Martin, 58, is the director of pharmacy services and Hannah Martin, 23, a secretary in the intensive care unit.

While both serve in serious settings, they also share a dry sense of humor that can be unfiltered and even snarky, said Lori Martin, Jerry's wife and Hannah's mother.

"We have a lot of fun, we do a lot of laughing, I do a lot of shaking my head," Lori said in response to some of her husband's comments that might surprise those who don't know him well. "People will say, 'You're Jerry's wife?' and I say, Yeah, but don't hold that against me."

Lori works as a clerk in the hospital's physical therapy department. She and Jerry have an older daughter, Taylor, a medical writer who chose the family business, but not the same work address.

Here's an example of the wordplay among the Martins. Hannah looked for work last spring after earning a degree from Liberty University in business administration with a focus on health care. She eventually applied at the Spotsylvania hospital, joking that she had a singular goal in mind.

"My plans at first were, I was going to take over and be Jerry's boss and he was going to be the first one I was to fire," the daughter said.

On a more serious note, Hannah said she was really excited, during the interview process, to think she might be able to work with her dad. Then, her comic side took over and she said: "I thought, I get to make fun of him all the time and pick on him."

Meanwhile, dad had his own take on how her decision would impact his life.

"A man feels like his work area is his area so you have your family at home and you have your work at work so any family member coming into your environment, you're like, OK, what's this gonna be like?" he said. "Am I going to have to behave myself better at work than I do at home or better at home than I do at work?"

But then he also got a little more serious and said that while it's true that he hasn't been able to escape his wife or daughter, "It's been ... good. It has been."

As often is the case, the mom was the great leveler. She pointed out that all three Martins have their own work spaces and are thrilled with the way their family has been accepted by the staff at Spotsylvania Regional.

Hospital CEO Ryan DeWeese echoed her sentiment.

"To have three members from the same family at one organization is very special and doesn't happen in many places," he said. "This shows that we truly care like family in more ways than one."

Lori and Hannah Martin joined the hospital last fall while the father has been a pharmacist for 34 years. He's spent more than two decades with HCA Virginia hospitals, including Spotsylvania Regional.

"Everyone has been amazing," Lori said. "I really enjoy going to work every day, and a lot of people can't say that."

Her husband and daughter can—and beyond the comedy routines, it's clear the two took a similar, round-about path to wind up in a hospital setting.

GLITCHES WITH CLASSES

Jerry grew up on a tomato farm in Hanover County and spent many summers in the sweltering heat, doing the backbreaking work of picking 40,000 plants. He knew, as did his father, that he wouldn't be the son who took over the farm.

"I tried to do something similar and go into PHARM-acy," he said, harvesting a typical dad joke.

He loved math and science in high school and initially planned to be an accountant. Then, he did some work in a grocery store pharmacy and liked what he saw from the other side of the counter. He switched his major, then struggled with chemistry and switched back to accounting. He got straight As in his classes, but wasn't happy.

"My heart just wasn't there," he said.

He tried chemistry again, with a different professor, brought up his grade and earned his degree as a registered pharmacist from what was then called the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.

Hannah hit a similar roadblock as her father at Liberty, where she initially studied nursing. She had dreamed of becoming a nurse after experiencing stomach problems as a child, and two hospitalizations profoundly impacted her.

"I had this nurse I just fell in love with. She took the best care of me, she was so sweet and I was like, I want to be like her when I grow up," she said. "I want to be like Heather from St. Mary's [Hospital in Richmond]."

"You remember her name?" her father asked. "On my gosh."

"I have a weird, like, detail-oriented specific memory," she said.

While she breezed through other classes, anatomy was her nemesis. She had trouble with the memorization, she second-guessed herself on the multiple-choice exams and took the class three times before switching to health care administration.

By the time she'd earned her degree, her parents had moved from Richmond to Spotsylvania and "they were very gracious to let me come and live with them," Hannah said.

"We didn't have a choice," her father said. "We didn't want her living on the street."

She said she'd be there until she could save money and move out on her own.

"She's been the only one in the household saving any money," her father quipped.

"That's because I'm spending all theirs," the daughter added.

'GIFT OF CARING'

As the ICU secretary, Hannah answers phones, puts together schedules and offers another set of hands as far as her training allows. Because she's expressed interest in what's going on around her, she said the nurses let her observe their work—and the activity has rekindled her interest in being a nurse.

"The nurses are really taking her under her wing and showing her things and she's talking about going back to nursing school and that makes me happy," her mother said.

Hannah hasn't decided what path she'll take, but like her father, she wants something hands-on rather than strictly administrative. Her parents credited divine guidance for leading them to various choices in their lives and believe it will be the same for Hannah.

"God has a plan for why He puts you where you are," her father said. "Lori and I say she's missing her calling if she doesn't go back to being a nurse."

As he thought about the influence a parent has on a child, his own mother came to mind. The oldest of six children on a farm, she was the one who took care of others—younger siblings, fellow church members or anyone in the community in need. There was limited cash on the farm, but she always found the means to make meals for others or help out in a crisis.

"She had the gift of caring for people," he said. "That had a big influence on me in wanting to do something that was related to caring and maybe it ...

"... Trickled down to me," his daughter said, finishing his sentence.

Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425

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