Four health care ‘grand marshals’ honored in Waterville

PHOTO: Steve and Tammy Diaz. Submitted photo)

WATERVILLE — Each year, the Children’s Museum honors individuals from the community as the Parade of Lights grand marshal. While this year’s Parade of Lights did not take place, but community members are still being recognized as marhals.
Representatives from MaineGeneral Health and Inland Hospital selected individuals from their organizations to celebrate the season.
Steve and Tammy Diaz, were MaineGeneral’s picks. Steve ichief medical officer of MaineGeneral Health and Tammy is school nurse at Winslow Junior High. They both grew up in large families and have five children, ages 10 through 27.
They said that this year they are grateful to have had the opportunity to spend so much extra time together. They plan to have a relaxing Christmas together playing board games, watching movie marathons, and of course cooking delicious meals.
Steve’s family is Mexican-American the holidays always were a two-day process of making and eating fresh homemade tamales.Many of Tammy’s most beloved traditions also revolved around food — she said she loved her family’s big family dinner on Christmas Day.

Hanna Campbell and Joan Sciartilli were Northern Light Inland Hospital’s picks.
Campbell is a physician assistant with Northern Light Primary Care. While this year has been challenging, it was also a special year for Campbell and her husband, who bought and moved into their first home. She said her favorite time of year is the holiday season. Growing up, every Christmas Eve her family would go out to dinner after services and on the ride home, would search the skies for Santa, Once home, it was tradition to get into new Christmas pajamas and watch Santa Clause movies together. This year, she’s ready to be creative celebrating Christmas with her family, trading in the traditional family party with a virtual trivia night.

Sciartilli, who is a resident at Northern Light Continuing Care, Lakewood. She said that her childhood Christmases were were always filled with happiness. Her grandmother was from Germany, and her family would go to her home after Mass and have a “poor man Christmas tree,” where everything on the tree was handmade, including taffy and popcorn balls. She also celebrated the Feast of St Nicholas, where all of the kids would sit on the couch and listen for the sound of nickels, pennies, apples, oranges. One of her favorite holiday memories is how her grandmother would get a new broom every Christmas and all the grandkids would get to pull out a single piece of straw. The one who got the longest piece got to sleep in her big bed under the pile of handmade quilts.
The community thanks the Diazes, Campbell and Sciartilli for everything they have done to help keep our community safe this year.