LEXINGTON, Ky. — In Lexington, a mother-daughter duo is getting the unique chance to work together at Saint Joseph hospital.
For a parent, working alongside a child can be a dream. For nursing director Connie Charles, and her daughter Raven Melson, walking the halls of Saint Joseph at the same time became a full-circle moment for the two.
Charles says it’s not a surprise her daughter took to the field. “There was a point, I think around second or third grade, that one day as I was leaving for work she didn’t cry that day and she said it’s, ‘Ok mommy, today somebody needs you more than I do.”
Eventually, time and other factors led them to become a medical duo. Charles is a Beattyville native and says her passion for the field grew out of the small rural town.
It was a place with limited medical resources and services — a challenge for the community.
The duo says that when they can, they volunteer in smalltown parts of Kentucky with national Nonprofits Surgery on Sunday and Remote Area Medical — groups providing health services to uninsured and vulnerable individuals.
However, that challenge would eventually hit home after Charles’ mother — Raven’s grandmother — became ill. That’s when Raven also discovered her passion for hands-on care and for those that are medically vulnerable.
“With my grandma, everything she went through, it just kind of solidifies everything that I’m doing every day and knowing that I am giving back to those who are in a time of need who need me and my skills and my compassion,” Melson shared.
Melson is currently in her third year as a medical student at the University of Pikeville. She made her way there after learning over time how the environment affects health options.
“I go to a medical school in Pikeville and it’s honestly a very rural part of Kentucky so I think their mission of training physicians that are going to come back to underserved areas in Kentucky for primary care, physicians and to help those who don’t have access to health care otherwise, I think that played a big part,” Melson explained.
Spending a short time with Saint Joseph just before finishing school, Melson says she is inspired by her mom’s hard-work and dedication. Charles says her daughter is the one that deserves the appreciation.
“As her mother, I probably know that sacrifice best. I saw the things she had to give up and you know while her friends were here doing this and that and she was here studying so, at an early age she’s had to make sacrifices,” she said.
Charles said that it has been her honor to watch her daughter grow into someone so passionate in the hospital.
“Oh, gosh, having Raven here, I don’t think there’s any greater feeling as a parent to know that you are watching your children accomplish their dreams and goals,” Charles said.
The two say they are enjoying working under the same roof.
“I’ll get a break and we’ll sometimes get to go down to the cafeteria or something together, but most of the time it’s just a passing hi and bye,” Melson said.
Charles agreed but adds it’s a feeling she still smiles about when it hits her. “I pass her in the halls and I say, ‘Good morning Ms.Future, Dr.Melson, you know, I greet her as if I were any other physician, and it’s pretty surreal.”
Raven is currently awaiting her final ceremony before becoming a doctor next May. Both plan to continue advocating for better health options around Kentucky.