Stories

Inspiring Stories from Our Union Community

From everyday wins to extraordinary efforts, our members’ stories highlight the strength, solidarity, and impact of our union. Help us build a wall of truth: We may not be able to share every story, but every voice helps shape our union’s vision and our future.

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Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Summer Valente, RN

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Summer Valente, RN

I fell in love with the patient population in the pediatric unit after I floated there. I’m kind of animated. I like making my pediatric patients smile even when they’re sick—because they will. Little things will make them smile and giggle even if they don’t want to. They can’t help being little kids. They bounce back. On our unit now, we see a lot of oncology families. I have a special place for those kids. I get to know their families and everything about them, tolerate their grumpy little attitudes. They’re so tough, those little guys.

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Loan Nguyen, OT

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Loan Nguyen, OT

April 30 is a big anniversary for us: My dad always calls and texts me, and there are usually ceremonies in our Vietnamese community. It's a big deal. I want my dad to talk about it more because we need this history. I definitely want my children to learn because it's just so vital to know your past.

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Annie Restifo, RN

I saw on social media Sunday night that our Maui workers were going on strike the next morning. Maui is very dear to me, like a second home, and I have family here. So without thinking twice, at midnight I booked a flight first thing in the morning on Monday and I got here to the strike line at about 2 in the afternoon. I felt like this was the right place to be with everybody—to support our family here. It just brings me so much joy knowing that we’re all in this together in solidarity.

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Jacky Ponce, Case Manager Specialist

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Jacky Ponce, Case Manager Specialist

I put in my hours here at Maui Memorial. I was a single parent. I needed to work. I’ve given 20 years of my life here. It hasn’t been easy, but I love working here. I love helping the patients and my coworkers. We’re one big ohana. I enjoy what I do, otherwise I would not have been here this long. You need to have aloha to work here. Aloha is like showing love, always helping, giving back.

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Ed Palafox, PT

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Ed Palafox, PT

It was a Tuesday. There were really strong winds in Altadena that morning, so strong that they knocked out our electricity. My wife works from home, so she was worried. I was down at my office at Kaiser Pasadena when the power came back around noon. Then, not long after that, we got the message that the wind would pick back up again that evening. The power company turned the electricity off early.

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Semanu Mawugbe, RN

Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Semanu Mawugbe, RN

When I arrived in California in 1987, I knew it would be tough, but I didn’t realize how much my upbringing in Ghana had prepared me. My mother always said, ‘Be kind and compassionate, no matter who you meet,’ and that stayed with me. It shaped my life, my work, and ultimately, my career in nursing.

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