The story of this week's Billy Johnson Community Hero is one of strength and perseverance. It is a story of one person who has not let what many would call a handicap keep her from making a difference in the world that surrounds her. Gina Bryant is employed as a graphic designer at Pikeville Medical Center, but she is recognized this week for the thousands of hours she has dedicated to saving animals through her work with the Appalachian SPCA.Cindy May Johnson, President of the Appalachian SPCA, says Gina is definitely one of the hardest working volunteers they have.
"She works tirelessly and for many, many hours to save animals' lives. And she does it at great expense to herself. In addition to holding down a full-time job, she doesn't even balk at the round-the-clock care that requires setting her alarm clock for every two hours to feed a newborn kitten. She is present at every single event we have and does the dirtiest jobs as well as the wonderful jobs that everybody likes (cuddling the pets). But, the bottom line is when we need help, or an animal needs help, we know we can depend on Gina."
Gina lives with a severe hearing impairment that would be considered debilitating to most people. But with the help of hearing aids and her ability to read lips, she is able to communicate with people.
Cathy Maynard, Vice President of the Appalachian SPCA, believes her impairment has actually made Gina the strong person she is today.
"I don't believe there's anything that she's afraid to do. You know, I'm a little bit nervous around the real big dogs, but there's no dog that she doesn't like. She will take on some dogs that other people wouldn't even dream of taking, and she falls in love with all of them!"
Congratulations to Gina Bryant, this week's Billy Johnson Community Hero.
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