Staff Spotlight: Hannah Derouen
Name: Hannah DeRouen
Job title: Medical Coordinator
Years at Make-A-Wish: 10 months
Work anniversary date: 12/13/2021
What’s a typical day look like for you?
A typical day for me usually consists of communicating with different medical teams to help build meaningful relationships, educate them on Make-A-Wish processes and policies, and answer questions regarding wish kids that have been referred to us. Once these relationships have been curated, it is easier to work with these individuals to get all the necessary medical approvals needed to grant wishes. Along with getting Wish Clearance and Medical Summary forms for all travel wishes, in-person shopping spree wishes, and more, I am also maintaining all our wish kiddos who are on holds. Elective, Medical and Loss of Contact holds are all managed separately but with similar processes. I am able to answer questions for these families regarding the wish process and get them active when they are ready to come off of a hold.
Favorite part of your job:
My favorite part of my job is feeling like I am learning something new!
Make-A-Wish is an ever-growing and changing organization which keeps me from feeling stagnant in my job. I also love getting to hear from the medical teams that we work with because they have such a unique perspective. They are always so excited to hear that a wish is happening. Since they mostly see these kiddos when they are sick, they love getting to see photos from the wish with lots of smiles!
A memorable wish experience:
The wish that has been on my mind a lot lately is Lorenzo Bunting’s. For a wish that turned out so well, it started off on rocky ground. Due to nursing requirements and medical needs, Lorenzo was denied his original wish to go to Disney World. Kennedy was able to work with the family even when they were frustrated with the situation and came up with the amazing idea of “7 Days of Adventure.” Lorenzo was able to go on an awesome local adventure every day for a week. Along with planning each adventure, Meredith created daily gifts for Lorenzo to keep him engaged and excited every day. Overall, the wish went extremely well, and mom posted some amazing photos of Lorenzo on social media. It was a great example of a wish that started out difficult and turned into something incredible with amazing teamwork and dedication to our mission.
Hobbies:
I really enjoy spending time with the ones I love (including my pups!) Whether I am traveling, watching movies, going out for dinner, or just hosting people at home, I love to be surrounded by my amazing support system. I also enjoy having alone time and love baking, reading and bubble baths to recharge!
Something people might not know about you:
Something people may not know about me is that more than 50% of my wedding décor is thrifted or from estate sales! With a lot of the wedding planning process being somewhat stressful, this really added an element of fun! Plus, who doesn’t love a great deal?