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To me, being a servant, is when you put others before yourself. You've got to be able to
put other people's concerns before those of your own. I've seen Harry be a servant in
a lot of ways. Harry -- every interaction that he has -- he's always looking to see
-- what does the person need? What can he do to serve them better? He does a really
good job -- if it's getting someone a cup of coffee, or just giving someone a firm handshake
and a pat on the back or an umbrella out to the car, just any way that he can -- anything
he can do for someone, he's always looking to serve. I would have to give my parents
credit for instilling in us trying to do what's right for others. Harry -- no matter what
you ask him to do, he's there. He could be carrying out the trash, assisting the patients,
which he does as part of his job. But then, maybe it's out on the street corner directing
traffic at the Covered Bridge 5k. When you ask, Harry's there, without hesitation. In
the home, Harry puts my needs above his many times and in the community, Harry's there,
he loves his community, he loves working out in the community, getting to know people,
working the festivals -- he has a lot of respect for these people that he's worked with on
a daily basis as patients and as team mates at the hospital. One of the families that
I can think of that became very close to me and are still close to me -- they're not customers
anymore, they're part of my family, and that is the Sam Barker family. On the last day
that we took my dad to the hospital, Harry was at the front door with a wheelchair waiting
to assist us, and that meant the world to my dad that somebody cared enough to walk
outside and help him get in the hospital. That day he meant the world to my family.
So, Harry was always, always willing to lend a helping hand to make a situation easier.
I've saw Harry do quite a few things here as -- on a day to day basis. I've known him
for ten years. He has gone out of his way to help people, especially patients coming
in, the elderly, he's really really observant of them and willing to help them. When you
think of Sycamore, you think of -- Mr. Harry's the guy you think of, because he's out there,
people like him, enjoy being around him, makes them want to come to our hospital. Being about
the same age range that Harry is, we talk about retirement sometimes, and how we're
going to have to work until we're 80 and 90 years old. We laugh at that. But the one thing
that helps him is to discuss his farm and his goats and the things that he deals with
at home, and I know that's one thing that he has pleasure in doing and I enjoy talking
with him about that as well. Harry, in my judgment, when I think about Harry, and hundreds
of thousands of times I've seen him here, Harry is like placing a big smiley face on
the front door or like putting a smiley face on the patient's door. To me, Harry is the
smiley face of Sycamore Shoals Hospital. Harry, I'm very proud of you for receiving the Servant's
Heart Award because you truly are a servant to me and all of those around you wherever
you might be. I don't feel like I'm accepting this recognition on my behalf. I feel like
I'm accepting it for the team, because without the team, I wouldn't be here. They're the
ones that help me get through day-to-day. I'm not the clinical person -- I have to go
to the clinical people to ask questions and to make sure that the family's questions are
answered. And I will say, in all the time that I've been working with the customer's
service side of it, I have never gone to a team member and asked them for assistance
with a family situation with a patient's questions, that they have turned me down. They have always
come through and helped.