Vicki Horton 'A Natural Leader' For Johns Creek: Resident

Editor's note: the following is a letter to the editor submitted by the Wynn family, who is supporting Vicki Horton in the Johns Creek City Council Post 3 race.

Our family met Vicki Horton in 2010 when our children were born extremely premature, each weighing less
than 2 pounds. Our families developed a friendship while we spent nearly six months together in
Northside Hospital's NICU, watching our babies fight for their lives. During a time of extreme stress, you get to see the substance of a person and I’ve continued to see the core of Vicki for the past 8 years. The strengths I’ve seen revolve around three main areas.

First, Vicki can see a problem, what’s needed to solve the problem and has the initiative to create a solution. We all became friends with three other families, and Vicki dubbed us The Preemie Posse. She realized that we all were struggling and feeling isolated and needed support. So, Vicki initiated a Friday evening pizza night in the lobby of the hospital. We five families would gather each week and decompress, share, and take solace from being with others who understood what it was like to see your child in such dire heath crises. Eight years later, The Preemie Posse still get together on a regular basis and have remained friends.

Second, Vicki has an innate ability to develop relationships and is genuinely interested in everyone she meets. At the hospital, I watched her regularly interact with other parents, nurses, and doctors and take note of what they needed in order to create an environment of healing. She was intently focused on her own child’s health, but also clearly was seeing the wider relationships at play and how they needed to interact together for the well-being of all.

Third, Vicki has an unbelievable ability to juggle many important tasks at once with grace and patience. During the NICU stay, she was the sole financial provider for her family and while still being present at the hospital every day supporting both her child and her partner, she was also able to keep her business moving forward. Multitasking is one of her strongest skills, especially during trying times.

As I said, a crisis reveals the substance of a person. And what I saw revealed in Vicki during both our
stay in the NICU and for the years since can all be summed up in one concept: a natural leader. Vicki is
a leader and the traits I saw will be part of her leadership as an elected Johns Creek City Council
member. I cannot think of a better person to represent the interests and residents of our city than Vicki
Horton.

Image via Vicki Horton's campaign