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Hope and Spirit Award - February
Penny Bailey of Columbia was presented with University Hospital’s first Hope and Spirit Award in a ceremony Feb. 20 at MU’s Sinclair School of Nursing. “Penny Bailey is an exceptional person,” said Patricia Lewellen, R.N., chief flight nurse from 1987 to 2005. “After a car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down, she has gone on to have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people across the country.” Hope and Spirit Awards will be given throughout 2006 as part of University Hospital’s 50th anniversary celebration. James Poehling, chief operating officer of University of Missouri Health Care, presented the award to Bailey during the ceremony. In 1982, Bailey was involved in a car accident less than a mile from her home in Harrisburg, Mo. She was not wearing a seat belt and received a spinal cord injury that paralyzed her from the waist down at 17 years old. Three years after her accident, Bailey began working as a motivational speaker for Think First Missouri, an award-winning health promotion program at MU’s School of Medicine. Bailey is now the assistant director for Think First, spending her time educating the public, especially adolescents, about their vulnerability to brain and spinal cord injuries, common causes of these injuries and how to prevent them. As assistant director, Bailey has delivered educational and motivational testimonies to more than 10,000 schools, businesses and other organizations in Missouri and nationwide. “Penny embodies what the Hope and Spirit Award is about,” Lewellen said. “She has always been positive about what happened in her life and exemplifies the hope and spirit we all need when faced with adversity. Even though she was very young when her accident occurred, she has been able to use what happened to her to positively affect thousands of people by spreading her message of the importance of safety. She is a wonderful, positive role model to everyone she meets.” Bailey’s office is located at Rusk Rehabilitation Center, where she underwent rehabilitation therapy more than 20 years ago. She shares with others a quote that inspires her: “The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.” |
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Penny Bailey, recipient of University Hospital’s Hope and Spirit Award, talks about finding inspiration after a life-changing experience. Standing beside Bailey is her daughter, Emily.
