When you intentionally create relationships at work, your coworkers become your family.
We’re proud to call our coworkers our family at Henry County Medical Center [HCMC]. Everyone works together to provide the best care for our patients. Besides simply working together, we care for each other on a personal level, which makes all the difference.
Two of our HCMC Environmental Service partners, Bro. Tracy Ray and Bro. Randy Dobbins exhibit the true meaning of creating a work family. They can read each other to the point of knowing what one will say before they say it. This strong connection fuels the desire to put forth their best work and can even save lives.
Randy and Tracy have worked together in their current positions for the past six years. But their friendship began many years ago, going back to their time together in high school. Randy and Tracy have always been work partners during their time at HCMC and neither would have it any other way.
Because they’ve spent every working day together over the past six years, Randy and Tracy have developed a deep connection. They’re not simply coworkers anymore, they’re brothers. They’re brothers who can read one another, understand each other, and care about the other in all aspects of their lives. Randy describes their friendship in this way, “75% of a job is getting along with your coworkers. We’re a family. We’re here more than we are at home. Enjoy what you’re doing and enjoy the people you’re around. We feed off each other. We know what the other is doing. We’re a team.”
This true connection went from enjoyable to crucial one night in December of 2022. While they were at work at a satellite location, Randy could tell something was not quite right with Tracy. He had learned his attitude, mannerisms, and personality to such a degree that he could instinctively tell Tracy was ‘off’. Without hesitation, Randy got Tracy into the car, and they raced to the Emergency Room. Within minutes of arriving, Tracy stopped breathing due to an allergic reaction. Randy stayed with Tracy until his family arrived, praying for healing. Thanks to the quick action from Randy and the amazing care from the Emergency Room staff, Tracy was treated, moved to a different location, and ultimately woke up okay. Randy’s care and attention to his coworker saved his life.
While this time it was Randy saving Tracy, Randy will be the first to tell you he was saved by Tracy first. In March of 2022, Randy was at his lowest point; he lost his wife of many years due to Covid. As expected, when grieving the loss of a significant other, Randy was having a hard time coping. Tracy took it upon himself to help his friend work through this difficult time. While at work, they prayed together, worshiped together, talked openly about the difficulties Randy was going through, and tried to find joy in each day. Tracy prioritized the needs of Randy to help him heal. “Having someone there every day helps a lot and makes a huge difference,” said Randy as he reflected on Tracy’s help and mentorship after his wife’s passing. Outside of work, Tracy’s care didn’t stop. Tracy and his wife met with Randy many times to continue checking on him and praying with him. Tracy helped pull Randy out of a dark place in his life, ultimately saving him.
Just as caring for each other comes naturally to them, Tracy and Randy know they are exactly where they’re meant to be. In their positions at HCMC, they get to work together with the staff to care for others. Both Tracy and Randy are caretakers outside of their roles at work. Randy cares for his adult son who is a two-time kidney transplant recipient. Tracy cares for extended family members, not to mention caring for himself amidst various health concerns. The two men exhibit selflessness as they put the needs of others above themselves time and time again.
Caring for others at HCMC is a joy for Tracy and Randy. They love being a part of the HCMC community and working as a team to provide the best care possible. They love the patients and enjoy being able to see and interact with them. More than that, they are proud to work for an organization that treats people with respect and dignity. They feel like they are part of a great family – working for HCMC is their true calling.
As stated in Matthew 9:37, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Randy and Tracy have found their harvest, and they are blessed to be the “workers” each and every day. And at HCMC, we’re blessed by those like Tracy and Randy who make sharing the good a priority every single day regardless of the circumstances happening around them.