Sometimes, the lines between profession and passion can blend to create something special, and that’s why Tom Jennerwein is this week’s Feature Friday.
Jennerwein is a veteran nurse with Interventional Radiology/Cardiology, yet he’s also a talented painter. Those two distinct parts of Jennerwein’s life merged recently when Tom donated three signed prints to help decorate a newly renovated hospice lounge on Unit 6.2.
Jennerwein’s offer came from the heart, as his father was once a patient on 6.2, and Tom saw firsthand the compassionate care staff gave to his dad during his final days.
The prints of Ledge Light, New London Harbor Light and the Charles W. Morgan of Mystic Seaport are all local touchstones, and they can be poignant for family members seeking peace and calm, says Jean O’Neill, RN, nurse manager of 6.2.
“They’re gorgeous,” O’Neill says. “They’re very soothing and uplifting. In some cases, they may remind people of times they have shared with their loved ones.”
O’Neill says the artwork is extra special coming from a member of the L+M family.
“This is a great example of how we take care of our own,” O’Neill says. “We were honored to take care of Tom’s father; that’s what we do at a community hospital: we all take care of each other. Tom’s donation to the unit is wonderful.”
Jennerwein’s artistic philosophy fits perfectly with need for a hospice lounge. “I’ve always had the desire,” he says, “to create something that could provide a moment of solitude to the viewer.”
