Arkansas nurse hikes a mile in the snow to treat patients stuck at home

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE, Ark. (KLRT) — As people across large parts of the country are stuck indoors, one Arkansas nurse is determined to continue seeing her patients. She’s risking her life on the roads, to save theirs.

“We live on one of the steepest hills in the Village,” said Destiny Rodgers, a home health patient.

For the last three years, Rodgers has battled a rare disorder. She spends her days at her home in Hot Springs Village, hooked up to an IV and a port.

“I have a very rare disorder called MALS; I am typically on an IV every day just for my fluids and the vitamins I need,” Rodgers explained.

Rodgers says when the winter storm blasted the state, she worried her nurse wouldn’t be able to make it to her neighborhood.

Nearly 11 inches of snow fell at her home on Monday. However, that did not stop Rodgers’s nurse, Patsy Lewis, from getting to her.

“I could wind up in the hospital so fast if Patsy doesn’t do these visits because what she does ultimately keeps me from being in the hospital as much as I used to be,” said Rodgers.

“That’s when I told Patsy … the only way we are going to get up there is hike up the hill,” said Jay Lewis, Patsy’s husband.

The two trekked through nearly a mile of snow to make it to Rodgers’ home after their truck got stuck on the road.

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“I was going to make it up there to see her no matter what,” Patsy said.

Rodgers says she is thankful for Lewis’s dedication to her patients.

“Patsy is one of the most selfless people that I know. Most people would not do that,” Rodgers said.

Lewis says she has seen four other patients during the storm who depend on her for their health. She hopes the snow will melt by next week as she heads back through Hot Springs Village to treat Rodgers.