Have you ever wished you could meet a real superhero? Do your kids love Iron Man, Wonder Woman, or Spider Man? These days, it seems like superheroes are everywhere: the movies, tv and streaming shows, and endless rows of toys. From brightly-colored costumes that may or may not involve a cape to special powers and abilities, superheroes are downright fun. And they might have the occasional setback, but they always end up saving the day.
Well, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that we have some real superheroes right here in Enid, too. They don’t wear capes—and as far as we know, none of them can fly—but they are heroes, nonetheless. In fact, every single day, they are making a difference and having a positive impact on the people in our community—our friends, neighbors, and families. We had the privilege of sitting down with a few of these superheroes, and these are their stories.
Hospice Nurses: Not just a job, but a calling
According to recent headlines, former President Jimmy Carter has officially marked one year in hospice care. Frankly, these reports were a bit surprising because not many people realize that a person can even be in hospice for a year. Many assume that hospice care means the end is near, but when we sat down to chat with Enid nurses Donna Hicks and Stevie Powell, they stated that this is a common misconception.
Local superheroes Donna Hicks, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), and Stevie Powell, a registered nurse (RN), both work at Hospice Circle of Love in Enid. They are knowledgeable and friendly, and they radiate the warmth and compassion that you would expect of hospice workers. They kindly sat down for a recent interview, and it was downright eye-opening.
Each woman took a different path to Circle of Love. Donna went to Autry Tech after raising her kids, eventually becoming a nurse in her fifties. After working at a dialysis center and then a nursing home, a colleague noticed her skills and abilities with dying patients and encouraged her to apply for a job with hospice. On the other hand, Stevie knew from childhood that she wanted to be a nurse. Recalling her grandfather’s hospice experience, she says that looking back, “He would just light up, and I thought if I could do that for somebody at the end of their life, what a rewarding experience that would be.” After earning her nursing degree at Northern Oklahoma College nine years ago, she worked as an ER nurse before landing at Circle of Love.
While hospice work can take place in hospitals or nursing homes, Donna and Stevie said that their work is frequently performed at people’s homes. While no two days are ever the same, the basic procedures are consistent. When conducting patient visits, Donna says, “We check their vitals, their medications, their safety—anything that they might need or anything the family’s needing.” She said they also do “medication teaching for the family,” so that the family members are equipped to handle basic medicine needs.
According to Donna, hospice requires “a terminal diagnosis of six months or less, but with that being said, we’ve had patients for days and we’ve had patients for years.” With each patient being visited anywhere from two times a week to everyday, depending on their needs, the goal is always quality of life. And far from the bedridden stereotype, some hospice patients are able to enjoy a variety of things outside the home. Stevie pointed out that “They get to enjoy life more. They’re not homebound, so they get to see their families. They get to go out to dinner or go on trips to see their family members. We bring everything to them so they can have that quality of life.”
One thing that is important is how hospice nurses are able to practice self-care, since such work requires a great deal of empathy from its workers. When asked about strategies for nourishing the emotional and spiritual facets of the job, Stevie and Donna were happy to share that Circle of Love has several things that address this very concern. First, Stevie said, “We have two chaplains that are available to us 24/7, as well as to the families.” Hailing from local churches, Chaplains Gary and Shelby offer much-needed support and care.
In addition to chaplain support, Circle of Love makes sure that staff are taken care of in other ways, too. There are quarterly reflections, where they remember patients who have died that quarter. “It gives the nurses a chance to talk and reminisce about the good things,” said Donna. In general, the Circle of Love environment is like a family. “If someone’s having a problem, we’re all here,” according to Donna. Staff also do dinners, Bible studies, and basically just have each other’s backs as needed.
Donna wants the Enid community to know that “This isn’t a job. It’s a calling.” And Stevie stated that “Everyone has a preconceived notion that hospice is just straight, end-of-life care, that they have X days to live, and that’s truly not the case.”
What is the case is that for Enid families with loved ones who may be needing hospice care, there are some terrific options right here at home. With Donna, Stevie, and their colleagues providing top-notch care, they truly qualify as superheroes without capes.
Chaplain: Just a Job? Nope!
Jerred Unruh may be the chaplain at the YMCA, but he swears that he’s not going to try and preach a sermon at you while you’re bench pressing. In fact, in his role as chaplain at the Denny Price YMCA, Jerred doesn’t do any preaching at all. Jerred actually has two roles: not only does he serve as chaplain, but he is also the property manager. He describes it as “taking care of the physical needs of the building and also the spiritual needs.”
Born and raised in Enid, Jerred earned a business degree at OSU and attended seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He and his wife, Kerrie, have two children. Jerred has had several pastoral jobs in Enid, including at First Baptist Church, which is a literal stone’s throw from the YMCA. Being a pastor is something that is fairly easy to understand, but fewer people are familiar with what a gym chaplain actually does.
When asked about this, Jerred kind of laughed and sighed gently. “It’s still a discovering kind of a question for me.” He explained that historically, YMCA facilities have had chaplains (the ‘C’ in the acronym stands for Christian) and that here in Enid, the Denny Price Y has always had a Christian influence. Jerred sees his evolving role as trying to see how they can best weave the Christian mission into all areas of the YMCA. Part of that is ministering to the staff; Jerred said, “I’ve had members come and ask, hey, could you come pray with me?” And they hold weekly staff Bible studies, as well. But part of the effort is also offering opportunities to people. “It’s not me being pushy,” Jerred said, but rather giving people the chance to experience the Christian message. For example, he does outreach with local youth sports organizations and also hosts brief talks with the afterschool children’s groups. However, he emphasizes that it’s not about “beating people over the head,” but sharing the gospel with people and just being able to “love on them where they are.”
In his efforts to care for the YMCA’s physical and spiritual needs, Jerred goes the extra mile. One minute he might be helping a colleague with a scripture question, and that might be immediately followed by a meeting with a contractor working on an electrical issue. The day to day managing of the chaplain side of things combined with “managing our maintenance staff” definitely requires balance, but Jerred insists that “it’s not any different than what we’re asking our other staff or CEO to do.”
The main thing that Jerred wants people to know is that as a Christian organization, there is definitely a goal of “highlighting the ‘C’ part of the YMCA…but if you’re not a Christian, that doesn’t mean you’re not welcome here. Matter of fact, you are SO welcome here!”
Teaching: Also not just a job
When Emily Cordova, who teaches kindergarten at Monroe Elementary School, was asked if there was anything she wanted the public to know, she didn’t hesitate: “You never know when you’re going to be the light in the middle of something…it’s such a great joy that you get when you see that kid going through something coming out of that…” Emily may be in her first year of teaching, but without a doubt, she is having a positive impact on the kids in her class.
It’s an impact that she almost didn’t have the chance to make. Originally a nursing major at Northwestern Oklahoma State here in Enid, Emily was on track for a career in healthcare. But after a tragic incident, her trajectory was forever changed. One day, Emily witnessed a motorcycle accident, and she tried to help the victim, saying, “I stopped to do CPR, and when I tried to, he died… So, I couldn’t do it. I was like, maybe this is God telling me, you’re not meant for this.” Emotionally, Emily knew that she had to change careers, and she had always loved the idea of teaching. So, she switched her course of study to education and graduated in December of 2023.
Just as Emily is being a positive influence on her students, she also well remembers those teachers who made a difference in her own life. She mentioned several, highlighting for special mention her fourth grade teacher, Ms. Christine Clifton. Emily’s family had recently moved to the United States, and she spoke little English. Emily landed in Ms. Clifton’s class at Enid’s Taft Elementary, and Emily says that “she made the biggest impact,” one that Emily treasures to this day. Special mention was also made of Dr. Steven Mackie at Northwestern, who Emily says, “is really my mentor… if I need anything, I go ask him.”
As a teacher who is bilingual in English and Spanish, Emily really values being able to support children who are English language learners. There are a handful of bilingual children in her class, and Emily emphasizes how wonderful it is to help students with the academic content level but also to connect with them on the human level. She explained that “when I was growing up… I felt like an outsider… But when you come and bring someone with the same language, you feel like you’re at home. And that’s what I want to bring to my students, to feel welcome and feel like this is for them and they’re part of this.”
Sitting in on the interview was Emily’s colleague and friend Natasha Stocks, who teaches first grade at Monroe. Natasha also graduated from Northwestern and is in her first year of teaching. She urged people to remember “that these are kids… just let them have fun and experience life while they are young.”
Hopefully you enjoyed meeting some of Enid’s superheroes! As you can see, none of them wear capes and none of them can fly, spin webs, or command magical hammers. And, to the best of our knowledge, none of them have appeared in blockbuster films. No, they do things that are way more cool than that. By simply doing what they do—helping the sick, teaching children, and ministering to the local population—these folks serve as true, genuine heroes to the Enid community. Donna, Stevie, Emily, Natasha, and Jerred are the real deal, folks: the hometown heroes who make a difference each and every day.
So, the next time you see one of them or one of their undercover colleagues who are also making a difference, give them a smile. You could also give them a hearty “Thank you,” to express your appreciation, but none of them do it for the thanks. They do it for the love of their fellow humans, and that is something that can inspire everyone.
