Frappier leads the Division Hero Care Network Casework Quality Assurance division for the Mid-Atlantic, and handles seven states. Frappier and her team are tasked with notifying a soldier serving overseas that there is an illness, death, or other emergency in their family.
When a military family has an emergency, a loved one can contact the American Red Cross in order to get that message to the military member. Frappier and her team’s responsibility is to verify the emergency and make sure the message gets to the military member’s commanding officer in the field—in a correct and timely fashion.
She performs her job so quickly because she understands how it feels to be on the waiting end. As a result of going through similar experiences, her work personally and emotionally affects her too.
One emergency message she had to send really stuck with her. A woman was about to have a baby, and her husband was stationed in South Korea.
Frappier’s team passed on the message—and as much as the father wanted to be back at home for the birth of his child, he knew he wouldn’t make it back in time. But Frappier is a mother and knows nobody wants to miss such a life-changing event. So, along with the woman’s doctor, Diane and her team were able to set up a Skype session for the couple. Even though he was on the other side of the world, the service member and his wife were able to experience the birth together.
“She was just so excited. Here she had her new baby, and her husband was able to be with her to give her words of encouragement. She was telling me how great it was to go through that, and know he was there, and that he was able to encourage her and talk to her,” Frappier recounted. The experience was uplifting for Frappier as well.
“It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that you were able to step into this family’s very personal life, and know that you were the one who was able to facilitate it. To make it happen for them. It’s a feeling of pride. You just feel so good about what you do.”
To volunteer, you can go to www.redcross.org
If you have a story, write to Andrew Thomas at andrew.thomas@epochtimes.nyc