Earlier this year, Mary “Robbie” Robinson, LVN, celebrated her 20th anniversary with Maxim! Robbie works out of Maxim’s Los Angeles, CA office and has spent her 20 years with the company caring for the same patient.
Robbie has been a nurse for over 35 years. A childhood experience of living next door to an elderly blind woman who was mistreated by her daughter-in-law, who was supposed to be her caretaker, shaped Robbie and led her to a career in nursing. Witnessing her neighbor’s hardships made Robbie want to ensure that vulnerable people always had the compassionate care they needed.
Shortly after joining Maxim, Robbie began working with Gerardo Lemus-Ramos. He was just over a year old when they first met. Gerardo is deaf, has skeletal dysplasia and respiratory issues, and uses a wheelchair. He has needed home health services since he came home from the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. His mother, Cynthia, was initially apprehensive because the family had had several unsuccessful experiences with other nurses. However, Robbie bonded with him immediately and got him to sleep through the night on her first night on the job.
Under Robbie’s care, Gerardo has made significant improvements. She has practiced sign language with him and taught him to vocalize some words. Robbie mentioned that Gerardo has always been motivated and committed to improving his health. He has recently started lifting small weights to improve his strength. He is currently in college and still has a very strong rapport with Robbie.
In her 20 years with the Lemus family, Robbie has shown remarkable dedication to her patient. When asked why she stayed with Gerardo all this time, Robbie stated, “I feel like if I take something on, I need to follow through every day that I’m here. I just have that in me. Anything I take on, I don’t leave it – and with this, I felt like I needed to be there with him, and I wanted to be.”
Her commitment has also improved the quality of life for the rest of the family. Cynthia shared that she was pregnant with her youngest daughter when Robbie came and knowing that she had a dependable nurse gave her more peace of mind and freedom to go to appointments and care for her newborn daughter and other children. “She’s made a big impact on the family because we knew we could always rely on her.”
Robbie has enjoyed her tenure at Maxim, “[in] my experience with Maxim, I’ve had 20 years of no problems with the company or anyone. I have a sticker on my car that says I love being a nurse, and people say, ‘What? Who stays at an agency for 20 years?’ I say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I tell people go to Maxim – don’t try the rest, go to the best.”
Cynthia commented, “She’s a great nurse and a great person. It’s been wonderful to have her with us all these years. I always tell her that she is an angel sent from heaven. Everyone deserves a nurse like her.”
Maxim congratulates Robbie on 20 years of service and compassionate care to her community!
*Patient information featured with the consent of the patient/family*
