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In This Issue:
Magda Hilaire, Patient Care Assistant, Tower 16AB
BWH mourns the loss of Magda Hilaire, a cherished member of the patient care team on Tower 16AB. Mrs. Hilaire, the unit's most senior patient care assistant, passed away Oct. 2 after a brief battle with bile duct cancer.
"She was a tremendous PCA," said Mary Anne Murphy Kenyon, MPH, MS, RN, ONC, nursing director of Tower 16AB. "She was incredibly dedicated to her patients and our team and never missed a day of work. Her loss is deeply felt on our unit."
Denise Richardson, unit coordinator for the Cardiovascular Division, worked closely with Mrs. Hilaire for the past year. "There was something about Magda that made people gravitate toward her," she said.
Two of her three children are members of the BWH family.
"Our mother was an amazing woman and such a hard worker," said daughter Dany Hilaire, BS, RN, a staff nurse on Tower 5A. "Our dad passed away in 1996, and my mom started working at the Brigham shortly after. She loved working here. She loved her unit and coworkers; the Brigham was such an important part of her life. She had been through a lot, but she was a fighter."
All three of Mrs. Hilaire's children lived with her and were extremely close.
"She was very loving and caring, and she came to work each day determined to do the best job she could," said daughter Jude Hilaire, a tissue typing technician for BWH Pathology.
In 2007, Hilaire's youngest child, Mushri Hilaire, underwent a heart transplant at Children's Hospital. He says he will remember his mother's strength during his procedure and throughout his life most of all.
"I've never met anyone else who possessed the strength my mom possessed," he said. "She was also a very loving woman. She was a great woman."
Mrs. Hilaire, who grew up in Lhomond, Haiti, moved to the U.S. in 1993. She began working at the Boston Rehabilitation Center (now Spaulding Nursing & Therapy Center) in West Roxbury in 1994 and joined the Brigham in 1997. She attended school in Haiti and completed her certified nurse assistant training in the U.S.
In addition to her three children, she is survived by mother, Marie Cleonie Morency, as well as sisters, brothers and extended family members and friends.
Services were held earlier this month. Donations in memory of Magda Hilaire may be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Liver Cancer Fund, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.
Words from Magda's Friends and Colleagues
I only knew Magda for a year, but it felt like I knew her for a lifetime. She was hard-working and never took a day off from work. She has three beautiful children, and she worked really hard-everything she did was for them.
-Denise Richardson, unit coordinator, Cardiovascular Division
Magda spoiled everyone. Her love was special to all of us.
-Mildrid Gaston, unit coordinator, Nursing Services
I just want to take this time to tell you how much I love and miss Magda ("Maggie") Hilaire. She was one of the most dedicated & loving human beings I've ever met. She wasn't just an employee at BWH but a friend. Maggie was never late for work EVER for all the years she has worked for BWH. Magda went above & beyond her duties as a PCA for patients & co-workers alike. She was a loving mother that adored her three children but most of all, she loved her family unconditionally. BWH has lost a precious gem. Our 16AB family will never be the same without Maggie.
-Nadine Bartley, unit coordinator, Patient Care Units, 16th floor
I think Magda was (and those who knew or worked with her I know would agree) an exceptionally hard-working, dedicated and empathetic employee, as well as a kind, sweet and gentle little lady. As with her personal family, our family here at BWH has suffered a great loss. I have been practicing in acute care for nearly 20 years, and she was without a doubt a "rare find" in her profession.
-Peter Carrington, physical therapist, Rehabilitation Services
Magda was a fantastic woman. She was nice, kind, caring, easygoing, friendly, a good mother, hard worker, someone you can talk to easily. I knew her for 11 years.
-France-Lise Laguerre, nursing assistant
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