Cory Hestekin

In February 2019, I took a week of vacation for the birth of my son, Carter. He wasn’t breathing well and was later diagnosed with RSV. We then had to take him to the ER, where he was taken to Rochester by ambulance where he stayed for a week. He spent four days in the pediatric ICU, then another day of recovery in their normal pediatric unit. The airways to his right lung were completely closed from RSV and pneumonia, forcing him to be hooked up to a breathing machine. At this point, I was running out of vacation time, and I didn’t know what to do.

After talking with my supervisors, they told me not to worry about work and take the time I needed to be with my family. The team really rallied together and took over my responsibilities in the receiving department so I could focus on my family during this difficult time. They also got us a really nice gift (pictured). We truly are one family, and I’m glad GFS truly values this at its core.