29 Aug Betsy Ruff Scholarship Recipient Takes First Step to Fulfilling Her Dream
Since she was just a little girl, Megan Humes has been a fixture at Freeport Community Services where her grandmother, Robin Harriman, has worked for almost 18 years. Over these years, Megan has done it all—even cleaning the bathrooms. As a little girl, she would work alongside her grandmother helping with small jobs around the Center. She began more formally volunteering in The Thrift Shop sorting room at the age of 7. She’s handed out Free Friday Lunches as well as Free Summer Lunch program meals. She’s scooped ice cream at Senior Socials and loaded Holiday Helpline bundles in and out of the Community Center. When the pandemic hit, Megan worked in the Food Pantry making up the pandemic safe to-go bags while studying and completing schoolwork remotely. She’s cleaned and stocked the shelves in there, too.
Megan has always had a passion for helping others, influenced greatly by experiences in her personal life. When Megan was a little girl, her beloved grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and Megan cared for her through countless treatments until her cancer was in remission. One of Megan’s great talents is dancing and at her dance studio, another little girl was diagnosed with brain cancer. Megan credits these two early experiences with sparking her passion for oncology nursing. As far as pediatrics, Megan simply said, “I just love kids.”
In high school, Megan took the Region 10 CNA or Certified Nursing Assistant course in Brunswick. “It was my favorite class,” Megan gushed. “We would do half the class in a classroom setting. The second half was lab or clinicals either at Horizons or Senior Health. We’d get experience in both ways.” In the labs, students used mannequins to practice their nursing skills. In clinicals, student CNAs helped patients with breakfast, bathing, and toileting. Through her experience as a student CNA, Megan saw the importance of helping patients heal emotionally as well as physically.
Megan’s dream is to move to Tennessee and work as a pediatric oncology nurse at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. “I love everything about that place,” Megan explained. “They don’t bill the parents and families. It’s all basically free. Everything they earn to care for kids is through donations. The whole building is so inviting and wonderful.” Over the years, Megan has sent them digital cards through their website for holidays. St. Jude’s shares them with the kids.
Megan has struggled with her own health issues. As a young child, she was diagnosed with PKU or Phenylketonuria. It means her body can’t metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine which is found in most proteins. If she eats too much protein, it goes to her brain. Untreated, PKU can cause severe intellectual and developmental disabilities in children. For teens and adults, untreated PKU results in serious mental health issues. Undaunted by her own challenges, Megan manages to use her illness to help others.
“I learn through experiences, more hands on,” Megan explained. “Every time I got sick, I would learn about it and how it affects me so that if someone else is going through that I can connect to them and help them in a way that helped me.”
This spring, Megan graduated from Freeport High School. Among the many awards she received, Megan was honored with the Betsy Ruff Scholarship from Freeport Community Services. “We have all watched Megan grow up through her connection with the Community Center,” said FCS Executive Director Sarah Lundin. “We are just so incredibly proud of this amazing young woman.” Megan Humes heads off to Husson University’s nursing program this fall. The first step on the path to fulfilling her dreams.