When talking to Yvette Franklin, a registered nurse in Mary Immaculate’s endovascular lab, one finds it hard to believe that she has been with the hospital for only four years. She seems steeped in its values system, as if she has spent her entire career here. She has thrown herself into the life of Mary Immaculate and supports it through the annual Employee Campaign.

Mary Immaculate especially suits Yvette, who moved to Newport News from New York when her husband retired. A veteran nurse with 28 years experience, Yvette prefers working in a faith-based hospital. “I’ve only worked at one other faith-based hospital,” she said. “There is such a difference. Everyone exudes the same demeanor and lives the mission.” Yvette is an outstanding example of someone who lives the mission herself. When she won $1,500 in gift certificates to Farm Fresh grocery stores, she approached Sr. Shaun Patrice Malone to identify patients who could benefit from them. “It was right before Thanksgiving. We already had enough food and I thought of all the people who had nothing,” she said.