Maggie Stewart, LPN

Whether donating a kidney or crafting blankets for the sick and downcast, Maggie Stewart, LPN, a nurse at Barberton Hospital in Barberton, Ohio, makes it her life’s mission to care for others. When the husband of a colleague and friend suffered renal failure and required a transplant, Stewart had herself tested as a possible donor. Proven a match, she donated a kidney. While the new kidney gave the man a new lease on life, complications kept Stewart at home for 13 months. She wondered how she could help others from home, and she began crafting “comfort blankets” – each inscribed with an inspirational message – to encourage the very ill and dejected. She tries to deliver each one with a handwritten note and smile.