11/27/2025
At HCA Virginia, we are a grateful for so much this Thanksgiving, including each other. The people at our hospitals aren’t simply coworkers — they are a family. This is underscored by the fact that LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, part of LewisGale Regional Health System, has not one but two colleagues who chose to be living organ donors.
Over the summer, Rebecca Hooper, an RN in the ICU, donated part of her liver to our hospital’s beloved volunteer coordinator, Rhonda Whaling, who was in liver failure. Both Rebecca and Rhonda are doing well and recently returned to work!
Palliative care nurse Nicole Thompson may have been her colleagues’ biggest cheerleader through the entire experience! You see, last year, Nicole donated a kidney to Barry Daniel, a local pastor in need of a transplant. Today, he’s back on his feet, sharing the gospel and his personal story.
These courageous acts say a lot about who our colleagues are as people and who we are as a hospital system and community. It’s no secret that we excel in providing high quality service and care for our patients. What’s become abundantly clear is that we are equally selfless in caring for each other.
As HCA Healthcare co-founder Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr. has been quoted, “Bricks and mortar do not make a hospital. People do.”
