When I got the call that it was my time to find someone to present a program to our club, I was just getting ready to shut down the store, when a customer walked in wearing a name tag. I noticed that she worked at UMMC, so I asked if she might be interested in speaking to the Grenada Lions Club about her career. She smiled and said she would love to and reminded me that I had already told her 3 times we would buy her lunch on that day.
That’s how I met Amanda McCullough, who recently gave us a program on what it is like to work in the lab at our hospital. She is the Lead Tech and started in 1995 when it was Grenada Lake Medical Center. She has degrees in Medical Technology, and this has been her career path for the past 28 years. She received her associate degree from Northeast Mississippi Community College and then her Bachelor of Science Degree in 1996 from the University of Mississippi. She has lived in Coffeeville all her life. She has been married for 26 years to Bryan McCullough and they have three daughters. I couldn’t believe it when she told us that her oldest daughter, Maeci, proudly represented the state of Mississippi and this Lions Club in the Mississippi Lions All-State Band in 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada! I thought how cool it was that I had asked her to speak, not knowing she had a connection to the Grenada Lions Club. She was most grateful for our clubs continued support in this wonderful opportunity for our youth. When you think of the lab in a hospital you normally think of blood work and biopsies, but there is much more that goes on there.
UMMC Lab Tech Amanda McCullough, left, is pictured with Lions Club President Pamela Hubbard. | Submitted Photo
COVID-19 pushed the labs to the front. We were all waiting on test results. Lucky for us now most of the COVID-19 virus mutations are a much weaker virus than the original. The job of a lab technician is extremely important. A simple CBC (Complete Blood Count) result could have devastating effects if not properly handled and an incorrect blood type could kill someone receiving blood. She explained why there is always a need for blood donors. Amanda had a story of her own about receiving a donor kidney on the same day she was giving us the program just 2 years ago and how much her life has changed since then. She received a kidney from a 38-year-old male who died of a stroke, making her a donor organ recipient and very appreciative that someone was an organ donor. She told us that she felt like several changes in her were due to the donor, like having curly hair now and certain foods she craved that she hadn’t before receiving her new kidney. Amanda did a great job talking to us and we are blessed to have her working here in Grenada. She is also actively involved in Coffeeville First Baptist Church and has taught Sunday School there for close to a decade.
We still have plenty of our pecans available: milk chocolate covered, fancy plain, praline and our giant cashews, too. All are available at most local bank branches, Square Market, Criss Office Supply, Duck Hill Hardware, 333 Restaurant, The Grenada Star, Scott Petroleum in Vaiden and local banks in Winona.
We can always use more people dedicated to serving others. Our Lions meet twice a month on Wednesdays at noon for lunch at Orleans Bistro. It’s a great way to serve others in your community. Please check us out and like us on Facebook and visit our website e-clubhouse.org/sites/grenada/
#kindnessmatters #WeServe
